I get asked this question ALL the time. Luckily, we started with the Intro Diet which is very restricted, and as we are moving into the Full Gaps Diet, it seems like there are TONS of things we can eat! Basically, we can eat:
Healthy fats (animal fats, butter, ghee, coconut oil, nut/seed oils and olive oil)
Meat (Chicken, Beef, Duck, Goose, Wild Game, Pork etc.)
Fish (Wild Caught)
Veggies (cooked with fat, raw or ferments)
Fruits
Nuts/Seeds
Some beans
Fermented Dairy (Yoghurt, Sour Cream, Kefir, Cheese)
We are not quite on the Full Diet yet, so some of the above is still restricted. A typical day would be:
A glass of lemon water first thing in the morning/ or freshly pressed juice (carrot/apple combo).
Breakfast:
Fried eggs with steamed carrots, broccoli, and tons of butter or Ghee.
Lunch: Dinner leftovers with a cup of broth and either 1 tsp. of sauerkraut juice, or one bite of sauerkraut. (We are all at different stages with this one.)
Dinner: Soup, stew, chicken legs, roast, hamburgers, tacos, mini-meatloafs, fish, chicken nuggets, spaghetti (Gaps-style), chicken alfredo (Gaps-style), etc. Usually 2 veggies, and a cup of broth. The more fat, the merrier on these meals.
That's it! I keep it pretty simple. I plan one meal a day for dinner, re-heat leftovers for lunch, and we typically always have the same breakfast. It took me a while to get this routine down, and figured out, but it really works for us. On top of the three meals a day, I have a few food items that I typically make each week.
Snacks:
Butternut squash pancakes
Sausage patties
Graham crackers
Bread or muffins
Yoghurt
Sour Cream
Coconut Milk (new staple)
and...I'm usually always soaking or dehydrating some nuts to make nutbutter or nut flour for baking.
My Husband's weekly food items he makes are: (He makes the treats!)
Homemade chocolate (Super yum!)
Peanut Butter Bars
Smoothies
Present and Future Breakfast Ideas:
Fried Eggs w/ bacon
Scrambled eggs w/ sausage
Omelettes
Muffins with Yoghurt
Fruit with Yoghurt
Granola w/ Coconut milk
Almond Flour Waffles
Coconut Flour Crepes
Banana Pancakes
Banana Bread and Yogurt
Snack Ideas:
Butternut Squash Pancakes
Carrots or mini cucumbers with dip
boiled eggs
avacados and avacados with a little salsa in the middle
homemade jerky
chicken muffins
deviled eggs
apples with nut butter
applesauce with yogurt, raisons, cinnamon
yoghurt with blueberries
smoothies
juicing
Dinner and lunch Ideas:
Hamburgers
BBQ pork
Meatballs
Almond flour crusted chicken nuggets
Beef or chicken tacos, wrapped in lettuce
Cowboy stew
Roast w/ cauliflower potatoes
Salmon Croquettes
Fish
Salmon w/ Dill
Honey Chicken Drumsticks
Mini-meatloafs
Almond crusted chicken thighs
Cauliflower potatoe-sausage soup
Chicken Alfredo on Spaghetti Squash
Turkey Hash
Moraccan-stuffed acorn squash
Turkey green-chili stew
Pumpkin soup
Apple Cinnamon Pork Loin
Spaghetti w/ meatballs, red sauce on top of spaghetti squash
I know I need to be better at posting recipies, so that will be my goal for the next couple of posts!!
Hope this gives you some good ideas!
Keep eatin' fat!
Brittney
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Get your D on!
I can't believe it's December tomorrow, and I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt outside today. What a beautiful day!
My oldest son is deficient in Vitamin D, along with over 60% of Americans! Vitamin D is soooo important for overall health! Why are we so deficient? Because we live inside. With the computer age, we all of a sudden didn't have to go anywhere. We can bank online, pay our bills online, shop online, and even grocery shop online. Most of us work inside, and if we do go outside, we slather ourselves and our kids with sunscreen. I used to do this as well, until I found out that skin cancer is really a weakening of our cells caused by toxins and chemicals that we ingest or that seep through our skin. Sunscreen is just adding to the total toxic burden.
When I really think about it, humans have lived outside for millions of years. We were meant to be outside. I don't think the sun would be so huge, cover the entire earth and shine brightly for many hours a day, if we were suppose to hide from it. I also think of other living things like plants. They need the basics; water, food, and sun in order to grow and live. I'm pretty sure we are the same.
This entire blog post was written for me, to rededicate myself to getting outside. We had done pretty good for a while, but preparing for birthdays and holidays the last couple of months have kept me inside for the majority of time. Today we got out, and it felt great!
For us, we will get out daily, at least 30min. to an hour. Work up slowly, so you don't burn. For me there are exceptions for sunscreen use. I would never go to the beach for 6 hours without it, but I would try and find a sunscreen with the most natural ingredients and take plenty of big umbrellas for shade.
So enjoy! Go outside, ride bikes, go for walks, play with your kids, and for those of you in cooler weather, go snowboarding, or have a snowball fight! Don't fear the sun, enjoy the sun!
...and I hear, that the more good fats you eat, the less you burn, so keep eating fats!
Brittney
My oldest son is deficient in Vitamin D, along with over 60% of Americans! Vitamin D is soooo important for overall health! Why are we so deficient? Because we live inside. With the computer age, we all of a sudden didn't have to go anywhere. We can bank online, pay our bills online, shop online, and even grocery shop online. Most of us work inside, and if we do go outside, we slather ourselves and our kids with sunscreen. I used to do this as well, until I found out that skin cancer is really a weakening of our cells caused by toxins and chemicals that we ingest or that seep through our skin. Sunscreen is just adding to the total toxic burden.
When I really think about it, humans have lived outside for millions of years. We were meant to be outside. I don't think the sun would be so huge, cover the entire earth and shine brightly for many hours a day, if we were suppose to hide from it. I also think of other living things like plants. They need the basics; water, food, and sun in order to grow and live. I'm pretty sure we are the same.
This entire blog post was written for me, to rededicate myself to getting outside. We had done pretty good for a while, but preparing for birthdays and holidays the last couple of months have kept me inside for the majority of time. Today we got out, and it felt great!
For us, we will get out daily, at least 30min. to an hour. Work up slowly, so you don't burn. For me there are exceptions for sunscreen use. I would never go to the beach for 6 hours without it, but I would try and find a sunscreen with the most natural ingredients and take plenty of big umbrellas for shade.
So enjoy! Go outside, ride bikes, go for walks, play with your kids, and for those of you in cooler weather, go snowboarding, or have a snowball fight! Don't fear the sun, enjoy the sun!
...and I hear, that the more good fats you eat, the less you burn, so keep eating fats!
Brittney
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Chronic Allergies
My oldest son had/has chronic allergies. It was pretty sad and annoying at the same time. He would snort and sniff all day long. He was so used to it, he just thought it was apart of life. His teachers thought he was always sick with a cold, sneezing and stuffy. I had to tell them it was allergies and that he wouldn't get anyone else sick. His worse season was Sept-March, and then it would come and go. Summers were pretty good, but every September, it would creep in again like clock work.
Since starting the GAPS diet, his allergies came and went. The summer was pretty good, so I thought, YES, his allergies have been healed, but then, September came, and so did his allergies. It was the same time I was introducing egg whites, so it was hard to tell if it was his regular allergies coming back, or if it was a reaction to the egg whites. I finally stopped the egg whites, and with it, his allergies stopped. It's been about 8 weeks, and he has been allergy free. 8 weeks, it's crazy! He was so chronic, even on the GAPS diet, that I'm in awe that it's November, (when it's typically the worst), and he has been breathing clearly. I'm sure his allergies are not over, as there is still alot of healing to take place, but it's amazing to me that he has been this clear, for this long.
A lot of times, allergies occur because your body is overwhelmed by toxins, and the liver (which is your major detoxifying organ), may be too backed up, and not able to detoxify the body. So, inflammation occurs. A good way to clean out the liver, is with essential oils. I love essential oils, I can't say it enough about them. They can be used instead of medicine, to help with sickness. For the liver cleanse, I use:
1 drop of lemon essential oil
1 drop of peppermint essential oil
in 1 Tbl. of lemon juice
I would take it in the morning about 15 min. before I ate anything. You should take it 3 weeks on, and one week off.
This can be pretty strong, and hot, so you can dilute it with water at first in order to get use to it. I added a little stevia (pre-gaps) in order to make it like a little lemonade for my kids.
My oldest son's liver must be getting stronger! I used the liver cleanse on him last year, and when he was on it for the three weeks, he did fabulously. When I would take him off for a week, all of his allergies would come rushing back. This year, I haven't had to use it. Yeah!!
It took about 2 months on the liver cleanse before I saw results in him last year. Everyone's body is different. I hope this helps!
Keep eatin' fat!
Britt
Since starting the GAPS diet, his allergies came and went. The summer was pretty good, so I thought, YES, his allergies have been healed, but then, September came, and so did his allergies. It was the same time I was introducing egg whites, so it was hard to tell if it was his regular allergies coming back, or if it was a reaction to the egg whites. I finally stopped the egg whites, and with it, his allergies stopped. It's been about 8 weeks, and he has been allergy free. 8 weeks, it's crazy! He was so chronic, even on the GAPS diet, that I'm in awe that it's November, (when it's typically the worst), and he has been breathing clearly. I'm sure his allergies are not over, as there is still alot of healing to take place, but it's amazing to me that he has been this clear, for this long.
A lot of times, allergies occur because your body is overwhelmed by toxins, and the liver (which is your major detoxifying organ), may be too backed up, and not able to detoxify the body. So, inflammation occurs. A good way to clean out the liver, is with essential oils. I love essential oils, I can't say it enough about them. They can be used instead of medicine, to help with sickness. For the liver cleanse, I use:
1 drop of lemon essential oil
1 drop of peppermint essential oil
in 1 Tbl. of lemon juice
I would take it in the morning about 15 min. before I ate anything. You should take it 3 weeks on, and one week off.
This can be pretty strong, and hot, so you can dilute it with water at first in order to get use to it. I added a little stevia (pre-gaps) in order to make it like a little lemonade for my kids.
My oldest son's liver must be getting stronger! I used the liver cleanse on him last year, and when he was on it for the three weeks, he did fabulously. When I would take him off for a week, all of his allergies would come rushing back. This year, I haven't had to use it. Yeah!!
It took about 2 months on the liver cleanse before I saw results in him last year. Everyone's body is different. I hope this helps!
Keep eatin' fat!
Britt
Friday, November 4, 2011
My Fav!
There have been a few recipies that have been my fav, since starting the GAPS Diet. I'm going to name a few in hopes to post them all at some point.
Homemade Chocolate Bar
Homemade PB (So Yummy!) (Spread a little PB on the chocolate bar, and Heaven has been made!)
Cauliflower Potatoe, Sausage Soup
Graham Crackers
Honey Sausages
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Brussel Sprouts w/ Bacon
Crepes
Butternut Squash/Spaghetti Squash (Ok, this isn't really a recipie, but my kids insisted I post this too!)
Since we are licking every drop of our bowls tonight, I thought I would post the Cauliflower Potatoe, Sausage Soup. (And for those of you who tried it on Halloween night, I made it with ground beef instead of sausage, and it was YUCK, in comparison to the sausage.) Tonight it has warmed my soul!
CAULIFLOWER POTATOE, SAUSAGE SOUP
2 T. Butter (plus a chunk of butter for later)
1 onion Chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 Lrg. heads of Cauliflower
4 C. of Chicken broth (Try to make some of your own if u can!)
3 T. salt
1 T. Pepper
6 carrots diced into smaller chunks
1 lb. of ground pork, seasoned with about 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper, sage, thyme and fennel
I feed 5 in this family, and always try to make double or triple of everything we eat, so we can have leftovers. So, when your done, this fills an 8 qt. Stock pot.
Ok, put about 2 T. of butter or Ghee in a stock pot on medium heat. Throw in the onion and minced garlic. Stir it around til' the onions become translucent. (About 5-10 min.) Chop up your cauliflower and add it to the pot. At this point I add more butter, (maybe another Tablespoon). Stir til it's all mixed up a bit. Add your Chicken stock. Put the lid on, and bring it to a boil. Once it's at a boil, I turn it down to a medium heat, (still boiling). Let it cook til' the cauliflower is really soft. (About 20-25 min.) While that is going, I boil my chopped up carrots until soft, and I make up my ground sausage w/ seasonings in a medium skillet. Once the Cauliflower is soft, I take my immersion blender and blend the whole soup together til' it's all smooth. I then add the chopped carrots, sausage, salt and pepper, and a hunk of butter. (A hunk is usually about 2 T.) Enjoy!
On the Gaps Diet, we can't have any starches. Unfortunatly the bad bugs like them too much, so lucky enough, cauliflower can be steamed, blended up with butter, salt and pepper, and you have mashed potatoes. I was missing a creamy potatoe soup, and I thought, well why can't I make soup with cauliflower to mimic potatoes, luckily I had made some sausage that morning, and I thought that sounded good in it too. So, with a few carrots later, our Cauliflower Potatoe/Sausage Soup was born!
I can't leave you hangin', so I wanted to post a treat too! The Carrot Cake Cupcakes are not my recipe, but you can search for it over at wellfedhomestead.com. There called "Coconut Flour Carrot Muffins". Super Delish!!
Keep Eatin' Fat!
Brittney
Homemade Chocolate Bar
Homemade PB (So Yummy!) (Spread a little PB on the chocolate bar, and Heaven has been made!)
Cauliflower Potatoe, Sausage Soup
Graham Crackers
Honey Sausages
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Brussel Sprouts w/ Bacon
Crepes
Butternut Squash/Spaghetti Squash (Ok, this isn't really a recipie, but my kids insisted I post this too!)
Since we are licking every drop of our bowls tonight, I thought I would post the Cauliflower Potatoe, Sausage Soup. (And for those of you who tried it on Halloween night, I made it with ground beef instead of sausage, and it was YUCK, in comparison to the sausage.) Tonight it has warmed my soul!
CAULIFLOWER POTATOE, SAUSAGE SOUP
2 T. Butter (plus a chunk of butter for later)
1 onion Chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 Lrg. heads of Cauliflower
4 C. of Chicken broth (Try to make some of your own if u can!)
3 T. salt
1 T. Pepper
6 carrots diced into smaller chunks
1 lb. of ground pork, seasoned with about 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper, sage, thyme and fennel
I feed 5 in this family, and always try to make double or triple of everything we eat, so we can have leftovers. So, when your done, this fills an 8 qt. Stock pot.
Ok, put about 2 T. of butter or Ghee in a stock pot on medium heat. Throw in the onion and minced garlic. Stir it around til' the onions become translucent. (About 5-10 min.) Chop up your cauliflower and add it to the pot. At this point I add more butter, (maybe another Tablespoon). Stir til it's all mixed up a bit. Add your Chicken stock. Put the lid on, and bring it to a boil. Once it's at a boil, I turn it down to a medium heat, (still boiling). Let it cook til' the cauliflower is really soft. (About 20-25 min.) While that is going, I boil my chopped up carrots until soft, and I make up my ground sausage w/ seasonings in a medium skillet. Once the Cauliflower is soft, I take my immersion blender and blend the whole soup together til' it's all smooth. I then add the chopped carrots, sausage, salt and pepper, and a hunk of butter. (A hunk is usually about 2 T.) Enjoy!
On the Gaps Diet, we can't have any starches. Unfortunatly the bad bugs like them too much, so lucky enough, cauliflower can be steamed, blended up with butter, salt and pepper, and you have mashed potatoes. I was missing a creamy potatoe soup, and I thought, well why can't I make soup with cauliflower to mimic potatoes, luckily I had made some sausage that morning, and I thought that sounded good in it too. So, with a few carrots later, our Cauliflower Potatoe/Sausage Soup was born!
I can't leave you hangin', so I wanted to post a treat too! The Carrot Cake Cupcakes are not my recipe, but you can search for it over at wellfedhomestead.com. There called "Coconut Flour Carrot Muffins". Super Delish!!
Keep Eatin' Fat!
Brittney
( I think it's more fun when pics. are posted. This is my now 6 year old daughter at 2 yrs. old. So cute, they grow so fast!)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween can be TRICKY!
Our idea of Halloween pre-GAPS, was candy, candy, and more candy. Since we can't have sugar or processed foods, (and have learned the detrimental effects of both), I needed to come up with other ideas of how to spend Halloween.
Can I tell you how much I love Google?? Mom's all across the world post there ideas on having a healthier Halloween. Here are a few ideas we are going to adopt!
First, we will trick or treat for a little bit. My kids still enjoy dressing up and going out!
The "Switchy Witch" is coming to switch out there bag of candy, for some "GAPS-approved" treats and money.
Then, we have invited family and neighbors to come over for a hot dog roast (in our driveway) over our fire-pit, Coconut-Pumpkin soup, Cauliflower Potatoe-Sausage soup, and some carrot cake cupcakes and pumpkin cupcakes.
We will sit out on our front driveway and pass out "Halloween toys" while the kids play in my parents blow up haunted house.
I'm hoping for success!
Hope you all have a fun Halloween!!
Can I tell you how much I love Google?? Mom's all across the world post there ideas on having a healthier Halloween. Here are a few ideas we are going to adopt!
First, we will trick or treat for a little bit. My kids still enjoy dressing up and going out!
The "Switchy Witch" is coming to switch out there bag of candy, for some "GAPS-approved" treats and money.
Then, we have invited family and neighbors to come over for a hot dog roast (in our driveway) over our fire-pit, Coconut-Pumpkin soup, Cauliflower Potatoe-Sausage soup, and some carrot cake cupcakes and pumpkin cupcakes.
We will sit out on our front driveway and pass out "Halloween toys" while the kids play in my parents blow up haunted house.
I'm hoping for success!
Hope you all have a fun Halloween!!
Cody and I attended an Adult costume party. The theme was commercials. Cody was the "Orkin Man", and I was the cockroach. (Dippin' Skinny anyone??)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ferments
Fermented foods are SUPER FOODS, and a BIG part of the GAPS Diet. Fermented foods are alive foods, full of enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and they help to detoxify the body. Most GAPS people have an imbalance of bacteria in there bodies. The bad bacteria has taken over, and has caused many issues. In order to restore balance again, fermented foods are eaten to dump good bacteria back into the body.
Countries that have been around since the dawn of time, still eat fermented food with every meal. We do not see it much in the United States. The goal is to be able to eat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a fermented food with every meal. A popular ferment in the United States is Sauerkraut. But, essentially u can ferment almost anything. I am just testing my skills at this, but I have so far been successful with sauerkraut and pickles.
When we started the diet 9 months ago, we were struggling with way to much die-off, so we cut back the fermented foods. When you start adding the good bacteria to your body, the bad bacteria comes out of it's hiding place to fight, and so all your symptoms come to the surface, sometimes even times 10, and then are flushed out.
We started with just one tsp. of sauerkraut juice, a few weeks ago. Everyone seemed to be doing fine, so I rapidly upped our dosage to 3 tsp. or some of us were actually taking a bite of the sauerkraut. WOW, did we all have some die-off. My husbands allergies came back 10 fold. It sounded like he had a huge sinus infection. ( He stopped taking the juice, and 2 days later, his allergies were gone.) I was exhausted and achy, my oldest son's allergies and stimming flared, and my two youngest kids got a red rash all over there face. What did all of this mean?? We definitely have some healing to do, but I need to introduce this much slower. So, I dropped everyone back down to 1 tsp. of the juice, and it got a lot better. Now, a few weeks later, and we are currently on two tsp. of juice, and everyone is managing quite well. We have a long way to go to get to 1/2 a cup of the actual food per meal, but we will get there!
How to make Sauerkraut:
Shred or chop up a cabbage.
Shred up about 3 carrots.
Mix the two in a bowl with about a Tb. of salt and some fresh cracked pepper.
Pound or squeeze the cabbage til' juice starts to come out of it.
Push it down into a glass jar until juice is covering the top of it. (If there is not enough juice, you can add salt water to the top, just make sure the cabbage is submerged in the water, leaving two inches at the top of your glass jar for expansion.)
Put the lid on and leave on your counter for about two weeks covered with a towel.
When it's done, put it in your fridge. It will keep for months. ( If you haven't totally stripped your system down with the GAPS diet, you can probably eat a 1/4 of a cup and be fine. Just see how you feel!)
Fermented foods are more powerful then raw fruits and veggies, because it ups the amount of enzymes, vitamins and minerals!! It's a SUPER food! (Also, sauerkraut is packed with Vitamin C, so great during colds and flu season!)
Here are some pics: ( I usually just use green cabbage, but I added a couple purple ones this time. My kids thought that was fun. Very colorful!)
Countries that have been around since the dawn of time, still eat fermented food with every meal. We do not see it much in the United States. The goal is to be able to eat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a fermented food with every meal. A popular ferment in the United States is Sauerkraut. But, essentially u can ferment almost anything. I am just testing my skills at this, but I have so far been successful with sauerkraut and pickles.
When we started the diet 9 months ago, we were struggling with way to much die-off, so we cut back the fermented foods. When you start adding the good bacteria to your body, the bad bacteria comes out of it's hiding place to fight, and so all your symptoms come to the surface, sometimes even times 10, and then are flushed out.
We started with just one tsp. of sauerkraut juice, a few weeks ago. Everyone seemed to be doing fine, so I rapidly upped our dosage to 3 tsp. or some of us were actually taking a bite of the sauerkraut. WOW, did we all have some die-off. My husbands allergies came back 10 fold. It sounded like he had a huge sinus infection. ( He stopped taking the juice, and 2 days later, his allergies were gone.) I was exhausted and achy, my oldest son's allergies and stimming flared, and my two youngest kids got a red rash all over there face. What did all of this mean?? We definitely have some healing to do, but I need to introduce this much slower. So, I dropped everyone back down to 1 tsp. of the juice, and it got a lot better. Now, a few weeks later, and we are currently on two tsp. of juice, and everyone is managing quite well. We have a long way to go to get to 1/2 a cup of the actual food per meal, but we will get there!
How to make Sauerkraut:
Shred or chop up a cabbage.
Shred up about 3 carrots.
Mix the two in a bowl with about a Tb. of salt and some fresh cracked pepper.
Pound or squeeze the cabbage til' juice starts to come out of it.
Push it down into a glass jar until juice is covering the top of it. (If there is not enough juice, you can add salt water to the top, just make sure the cabbage is submerged in the water, leaving two inches at the top of your glass jar for expansion.)
Put the lid on and leave on your counter for about two weeks covered with a towel.
When it's done, put it in your fridge. It will keep for months. ( If you haven't totally stripped your system down with the GAPS diet, you can probably eat a 1/4 of a cup and be fine. Just see how you feel!)
Fermented foods are more powerful then raw fruits and veggies, because it ups the amount of enzymes, vitamins and minerals!! It's a SUPER food! (Also, sauerkraut is packed with Vitamin C, so great during colds and flu season!)
Here are some pics: ( I usually just use green cabbage, but I added a couple purple ones this time. My kids thought that was fun. Very colorful!)
Shred your cabbage
Shred your carrots, add pepper, salt and pound the juices out!
Stuff the cabbage down in the jars. (I took a shot far away, so you could see the mess too!)
Viola! I should have left a little more room on top for expansion (note to self).
Cover with a towel, and let it sit out for a couple of weeks.
You can google fermented foods too, there are so many success stories of healing with ferments!
Keep eatin' fat (and ferments)!
Britt
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Incredible Edible EGG
We just got Chickens! It's so exciting! On the GAPS diet, you eat a lot of eggs. We consume about 15 a day. They are a good source of natural fat and protein, and they are loaded with all the good stuff. I had no idea there was such a big difference between eggs. The egg on the left is an organic egg bought at the grocery store. The two yolks on the right are from free-ranging, organic chickens who get to eat bugs, grass, weeds, and who get plenty of sunshine in someone's own backyard. It's crazy the nutrients that are lost from the regular grocery store eggs.
Eggs were a problem at our house. My oldest son was allergic to both the yolk and the egg white before we started the diet. After about one month on the diet, we were successfully able to introduce the egg yolk back into his diet. Yeah! It was such an exciting day. Then, a few weeks later, we tried the egg white. Unfortunatly, he had a reaction. The egg white is typically harder to digest, because of the protein, so we took it back out. For the last 8 months, I think I tried to re-introduce it two more times. Both times, a reaction. Just last week, I slowly added a little more egg white to his morning yolks, and yesterday, he had two whole fried eggs without any reactions. I may be jumping the gun here, I will have to see how the next couple of days go, but so exciting! Eggs are really hard to substitute, and are so nourishing, so I am hoping this is a success!
I had thought I never had any problems with any foods prior to this diet. For 4 months after we started, I had some pretty bad die-off which included, nausea, back and neck pain, brain fog, headaches etc. I realized, that I was the sickest in the morning, and then it would go away during the day. (Yes, I even took a pregnancy test to rule that one out!) I realized all I was eating in the morning, were eggs and vegetables. Since I ate vegetables all day long, I thought, maybe it was the eggs. I took the eggs out one morning, and I was instantly better! I had energy, no pain, no headaches, I could think clearly etc. I was kind of shocked. Really? Am I sensitive to eggs? I kept them out for 3 days and felt fabulous! I then thought I would just try the yolk on the 4th morning. All the previous sickness came flooding back. Ugh! I did not want to feel that way at all, so I decided to be off of eggs for a while. I concentrated on eating a lot of fat and drinking a lot of broth, in order to heal and seal my gut lining, so I could handle eggs again. 2 months later, I gradually added the eggs back in, and viola, no more problems with eggs! Success!
When you are on this diet, your body gets a brand new clean start by eliminating foods, and slowly adding them back in. I may have been sensitive to eggs for a long time, but our bodies are so inundated with so many things (sugar, white flour, chocolate, stress, foods we are allergic to) etc., our bodies don't even know how to scream at us any more. Instead, you have headaches once in a while, you have trouble sleeping, your face breaks out, you have asthma, whatever your issues are.
I am grateful for this mighty change with the eggs, and hope for many more successes! The chickens have been the BEST babysitters! My kids will hang out with them forever!:)
(One is named Red Rosie, and the rest are named Dinner.)
(Ye haw! Our first egg!)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
SAD diet to Whole Foods
My brother watched the documentary Forks over Knives, and became instantly interested in the food he was eating off his plate. Where did IT come from? How did IT grow, how did IT eat, how did IT LIVE?? There have been a few documentaries showing how food is now produced in America. It's kind of revolting, and amazing how all of these foods are making us sick!
Before starting the GAPS Diet, and after I realized food was a HUGE contributor to my oldest sons ailments, I started discovering Whole Foods. I took an awesome "Real food for Rookies" class by Kelly the Kitchen Kop. (You can google her.) Kelly follows the Nourishing Traditions food plan by Sally Fallon. It is based on eating Traditional Foods that many countries have eaten since the dawn of time, before heart disease, obesity, diabetes, asthma etc. were developed. This class helped me step by step, clean out my SAD (Standard American Diet) pantry, and start filling it with whole foods. So what did I replace?
Fats: I changed from canola oil, margarine, shortening etc., to coconut oil, real organic butter, Palm oil, Olive oil
Sugars: I changed from white sugar, to Stevia, raw honey, and Sucanat
Meats: I changed from regular corn-fed meat, to grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and Wild Caught seafood
Dairy: Regular pasteurized milk to Raw milk, full-fat yogurt and full-fat sr. cream
Eggs: Regular eggs, to free-range, Organic eggs
Veggies and fruits: I try to buy Organic when possible. There is a "Dirty Dozen" list and a "Clean 15" list. I buy the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables for sure Organic.
Herbs and Spices- I try to buy Organic when possible, and usually I buy each spice individually. It's kind of alarming whats in some of those BBQ spice, or taco seasoning mixes.
Condiments: Now, I make my own, but if u start reading labels, try to find some with just a few ingredients, and try to know what they are.
I noticed as I went along this journey, that a lot of processed food and store-bought food was filled with artificial colors, flavors, msg, and ingredients that could harm the body. So, the more I learned, the more I ended up buying whole foods, and making meals at home from fresh, whole ingredients.
One of the main issues I have with "Forks over Knives", is that it is based on a "plant-based diet" or code word for vegetarian. I love my fruits and vegetables, don't get me wrong, but I believe we need our meats and fats as well.
Fruits and Vegetables are cleansing. Protein and fats are building. New vegetarians, for the first few years, feel fabulous! Why? Because they are cleansing, cleansing, cleansing, and believe me, we Americans need a lot of cleansing! But, after a while, many vegetarians become too skinny, there faces start to look hollow, there hair starts thinning, many become pale and some report needing major dental work because of new cavities. Why? Because they are never building there body back up, with protein and fats. You know how u can eat an all veggie salad and never feel full? It's because veggies don't feed the body, they cleanse the body. Now, when u eat a salad with beans, chicken, eggs, avocado, and dressing, you get full. Why? Because the fats and proteins are actually feeding your body. Your brain is 60% fat, and your cells are made up of fat too, so u need the good fats, to feed your brain and cells. The first thing I noticed when starting to eat a lot of fats, my brain-fog lifted, and my husband lost 10 pounds super quick!
Eating protein and fat will give you Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, all major vitamins except vit. C and Vit K1. They will help with muscle building, collagen for wrinkles, calcium for strong bones and teeth, energy, regulate hormones, memory etc.
What I loved about Forks and Knives? It showed what harm can be done if we continue to eat a processed food diet. So, let's change one food group in our pantry this week!
Where do I see myself after GAPS? Probably somewhere between a Whole Foods Nourishing Traditions diet and a Paleo Diet. (You can google it, or more to come!)
Keep Eatin' fat!
Britt
Before starting the GAPS Diet, and after I realized food was a HUGE contributor to my oldest sons ailments, I started discovering Whole Foods. I took an awesome "Real food for Rookies" class by Kelly the Kitchen Kop. (You can google her.) Kelly follows the Nourishing Traditions food plan by Sally Fallon. It is based on eating Traditional Foods that many countries have eaten since the dawn of time, before heart disease, obesity, diabetes, asthma etc. were developed. This class helped me step by step, clean out my SAD (Standard American Diet) pantry, and start filling it with whole foods. So what did I replace?
Fats: I changed from canola oil, margarine, shortening etc., to coconut oil, real organic butter, Palm oil, Olive oil
Sugars: I changed from white sugar, to Stevia, raw honey, and Sucanat
Meats: I changed from regular corn-fed meat, to grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and Wild Caught seafood
Dairy: Regular pasteurized milk to Raw milk, full-fat yogurt and full-fat sr. cream
Eggs: Regular eggs, to free-range, Organic eggs
Veggies and fruits: I try to buy Organic when possible. There is a "Dirty Dozen" list and a "Clean 15" list. I buy the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables for sure Organic.
Herbs and Spices- I try to buy Organic when possible, and usually I buy each spice individually. It's kind of alarming whats in some of those BBQ spice, or taco seasoning mixes.
Condiments: Now, I make my own, but if u start reading labels, try to find some with just a few ingredients, and try to know what they are.
I noticed as I went along this journey, that a lot of processed food and store-bought food was filled with artificial colors, flavors, msg, and ingredients that could harm the body. So, the more I learned, the more I ended up buying whole foods, and making meals at home from fresh, whole ingredients.
One of the main issues I have with "Forks over Knives", is that it is based on a "plant-based diet" or code word for vegetarian. I love my fruits and vegetables, don't get me wrong, but I believe we need our meats and fats as well.
Fruits and Vegetables are cleansing. Protein and fats are building. New vegetarians, for the first few years, feel fabulous! Why? Because they are cleansing, cleansing, cleansing, and believe me, we Americans need a lot of cleansing! But, after a while, many vegetarians become too skinny, there faces start to look hollow, there hair starts thinning, many become pale and some report needing major dental work because of new cavities. Why? Because they are never building there body back up, with protein and fats. You know how u can eat an all veggie salad and never feel full? It's because veggies don't feed the body, they cleanse the body. Now, when u eat a salad with beans, chicken, eggs, avocado, and dressing, you get full. Why? Because the fats and proteins are actually feeding your body. Your brain is 60% fat, and your cells are made up of fat too, so u need the good fats, to feed your brain and cells. The first thing I noticed when starting to eat a lot of fats, my brain-fog lifted, and my husband lost 10 pounds super quick!
Eating protein and fat will give you Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, all major vitamins except vit. C and Vit K1. They will help with muscle building, collagen for wrinkles, calcium for strong bones and teeth, energy, regulate hormones, memory etc.
What I loved about Forks and Knives? It showed what harm can be done if we continue to eat a processed food diet. So, let's change one food group in our pantry this week!
Where do I see myself after GAPS? Probably somewhere between a Whole Foods Nourishing Traditions diet and a Paleo Diet. (You can google it, or more to come!)
Keep Eatin' fat!
Britt
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Our Symptoms
Since starting GAPS 8 months ago, so much has happened. Each one of us have displayed symptoms, and have had some healing take place. Hmm... where to start?
My Oldest...(who we started the diet initially for)
Majorly colicky as a baby
Asthma-gone!
Eczema-gone!
Food allergies to eggs and dairy-he can now tolerate egg yolks, eggs cooked in things (like pancakes), and he can now have Ghee, or clarified butter (protein removed).
Focusing Issues- Better!
Stimming-been both better, then worse, then better
Chronic Allergies-better, but have recently gotten worse again because of the addition of
sauerkraut (good bacteria).
Constipation-gone!
Digestive Issues-better, but still working on it!
My Daughter.....
I thought she had perfect health! She did scream as a baby for 7 hours a day for about 6 months when she was a baby, and at 2 months, was pretty much classified as failure to thrive, but other then that, she grew up with just a few colds, and one time had the flu. Not bad! Since the diet, she struggled with blood sugar issues, (probably hypoglycemia), yeast infections, a couple of kidney stones, weird licking of the lips for months, and a stuffy nose for 3 months (til' I pulled dairy out).
She has recovered from all of these things, except, as of late, since starting sauerkraut (good bacteria), her face has broken out in a little rash. I have since learned, this is yeast coming out. Your skin is a major detoxifying organ, and this tends to happen a lot until all the junk is cleared out.
My youngest....
My easiest baby. My healthiest kid. He had some eczema as a baby, so I knew when starting this diet, he would do some healing. Weird thing happened. He woke up every night, sometimes two times a night before the diet started. I didn't think much of it, because he would just come into our room and fall back asleep on the floor. I was not very strict about putting him back in his bed, so I just thought it was habit. It was wearing on me though. The day we started the diet, he slept through the night. I thought it was a fluke, but he kept sleeping through night after night. He went to nursery 5 days later, and had the regular nursery snack of gold fish and pretzels. That night, he woke up. I totally saw a connection early on. Now he sleeps through the night all the time, unless he eats something that is too advanced for his tummy. I started nuts for three days, and he woke up every night. The day I stopped the nuts, he stopped waking up! Strange! His only other symptom is yeast rashes. Sometimes on his bum, and sometimes on his face.
My Husband...
Allergies- Much better, but reared there ugly head again when starting sauerkraut (good bacteria)!
Overweight-Lost 40 pounds, and has kept it off
He's pretty darn healthy!!
Me....
Where do I begin? I had always felt pretty healthy, was very active as a teenager, few ear infections as a kid, regular period, very little acne as a teenager, very stable moods, (even when it was that time of the month) and 28 day cycles to the T.
Then, I started having babies, and something happened. Each pregnancy, I got sicker and sicker. In between pregnancies, my joints felt achy, I started to get frequent headaches. About once a week, I would get incredible back pain on the lower right side to where I had to lay down at times. I was tired, I had Brain Fog, my periods became heavier, and longer, and were unpredictable. With the periods, came the mood swings. Sorry honey! I hated it, this was not me! I started sleeping horribly. It would take me over an hour to fall asleep, and most nights, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and not be able to fall back to sleep for 2-3 hours. Did I mention I was TIRED. Last but not least, after my third child, I began breaking out all the time. It would last about three weeks, clear up in a week, and start all over again. My face hurt, they were the big zits that would hide under your skin and reek havoc! Unfortunately, I thought this is just what came with being a mom, but I have learned different now.
When starting the diet, my die-off or detoxing lasted 4 months. I was dizzy, absolutely exhausted, I would have hot flashes all day, I was nauseated, headaches, excruciating back pain, weird aches and pains in different parts of my body, and I also passed a kidney stone (holy cow, that hurt!) But, all is better now!
The die-off was a combination of things. First switching from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to the GAPS diet. My body was so addicted to the old foods, I'm sure it was equal to being in rehab when u are trying to get off alcohol or drugs. Second, stored toxins being released too quickly, causing havoc, and some food intolerances I uncovered.
So, how is it going now??
My face is virtually clear. That took about 5 months. I still do get some acne when I am going through some die-off, but it is nothing like it was before!
My headaches are gone for now
Back pain-gone for now
Nausea-gone!
Brain fog-gone!
Sleep- Wow, has this changed! I typically fall asleep with in 5 minutes, and never wake up in the middle of the night. We moved to a new house in June, and u can hear a train come by at night. I woke up the first few nights, because I was not used to the sound, but fell back to sleep right away. YEAH!! This was huge!
Periods- 28 days, shorter, lighter, no cramps or recognition that they are coming. Another Yeah!
Ever since I've been married, I have worn socks to bed, my feet have always been cold. Summer, winter, it didn't matter. After about 1 month on the diet, no more socks, and I don't feel cold going to the movie theatre anymore. (Hormones more balanced)
Uncovered an egg allergy about 4 months in. I took out the eggs for 2 months, and can now tolerate them just fine with out my previous issues of nausea, back pain and brain fog. Wahoo!
Ok, I say gone for now on some of my issues above, because what happens with this diet, is that you are always healing. You can have some things heal right from the start, and other things can take a couple of years to heal. I have felt fabulous for a while, but then last week we started sauerkraut ( a healing food) it brought some of our old issues up because it is adding beneficial bacteria into the stomach, and all the bad bacteria come out to fight it, and you feel worse again. You are then removing those things from your body, so ultimately it is a good thing, but uncomfortable, so I am trying to control die-off slowly. (More on this in another post).
With all this said, we have had huge gains, but are still working on some things. This diet has been a total life change, hard, but definitely worth it. I've always known in life the hardest things are ALWAYS the most worthwhile!
Britt
My Oldest...(who we started the diet initially for)
Majorly colicky as a baby
Asthma-gone!
Eczema-gone!
Food allergies to eggs and dairy-he can now tolerate egg yolks, eggs cooked in things (like pancakes), and he can now have Ghee, or clarified butter (protein removed).
Focusing Issues- Better!
Stimming-been both better, then worse, then better
Chronic Allergies-better, but have recently gotten worse again because of the addition of
sauerkraut (good bacteria).
Constipation-gone!
Digestive Issues-better, but still working on it!
My Daughter.....
I thought she had perfect health! She did scream as a baby for 7 hours a day for about 6 months when she was a baby, and at 2 months, was pretty much classified as failure to thrive, but other then that, she grew up with just a few colds, and one time had the flu. Not bad! Since the diet, she struggled with blood sugar issues, (probably hypoglycemia), yeast infections, a couple of kidney stones, weird licking of the lips for months, and a stuffy nose for 3 months (til' I pulled dairy out).
She has recovered from all of these things, except, as of late, since starting sauerkraut (good bacteria), her face has broken out in a little rash. I have since learned, this is yeast coming out. Your skin is a major detoxifying organ, and this tends to happen a lot until all the junk is cleared out.
My youngest....
My easiest baby. My healthiest kid. He had some eczema as a baby, so I knew when starting this diet, he would do some healing. Weird thing happened. He woke up every night, sometimes two times a night before the diet started. I didn't think much of it, because he would just come into our room and fall back asleep on the floor. I was not very strict about putting him back in his bed, so I just thought it was habit. It was wearing on me though. The day we started the diet, he slept through the night. I thought it was a fluke, but he kept sleeping through night after night. He went to nursery 5 days later, and had the regular nursery snack of gold fish and pretzels. That night, he woke up. I totally saw a connection early on. Now he sleeps through the night all the time, unless he eats something that is too advanced for his tummy. I started nuts for three days, and he woke up every night. The day I stopped the nuts, he stopped waking up! Strange! His only other symptom is yeast rashes. Sometimes on his bum, and sometimes on his face.
My Husband...
Allergies- Much better, but reared there ugly head again when starting sauerkraut (good bacteria)!
Overweight-Lost 40 pounds, and has kept it off
He's pretty darn healthy!!
Me....
Where do I begin? I had always felt pretty healthy, was very active as a teenager, few ear infections as a kid, regular period, very little acne as a teenager, very stable moods, (even when it was that time of the month) and 28 day cycles to the T.
Then, I started having babies, and something happened. Each pregnancy, I got sicker and sicker. In between pregnancies, my joints felt achy, I started to get frequent headaches. About once a week, I would get incredible back pain on the lower right side to where I had to lay down at times. I was tired, I had Brain Fog, my periods became heavier, and longer, and were unpredictable. With the periods, came the mood swings. Sorry honey! I hated it, this was not me! I started sleeping horribly. It would take me over an hour to fall asleep, and most nights, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and not be able to fall back to sleep for 2-3 hours. Did I mention I was TIRED. Last but not least, after my third child, I began breaking out all the time. It would last about three weeks, clear up in a week, and start all over again. My face hurt, they were the big zits that would hide under your skin and reek havoc! Unfortunately, I thought this is just what came with being a mom, but I have learned different now.
When starting the diet, my die-off or detoxing lasted 4 months. I was dizzy, absolutely exhausted, I would have hot flashes all day, I was nauseated, headaches, excruciating back pain, weird aches and pains in different parts of my body, and I also passed a kidney stone (holy cow, that hurt!) But, all is better now!
The die-off was a combination of things. First switching from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to the GAPS diet. My body was so addicted to the old foods, I'm sure it was equal to being in rehab when u are trying to get off alcohol or drugs. Second, stored toxins being released too quickly, causing havoc, and some food intolerances I uncovered.
So, how is it going now??
My face is virtually clear. That took about 5 months. I still do get some acne when I am going through some die-off, but it is nothing like it was before!
My headaches are gone for now
Back pain-gone for now
Nausea-gone!
Brain fog-gone!
Sleep- Wow, has this changed! I typically fall asleep with in 5 minutes, and never wake up in the middle of the night. We moved to a new house in June, and u can hear a train come by at night. I woke up the first few nights, because I was not used to the sound, but fell back to sleep right away. YEAH!! This was huge!
Periods- 28 days, shorter, lighter, no cramps or recognition that they are coming. Another Yeah!
Ever since I've been married, I have worn socks to bed, my feet have always been cold. Summer, winter, it didn't matter. After about 1 month on the diet, no more socks, and I don't feel cold going to the movie theatre anymore. (Hormones more balanced)
Uncovered an egg allergy about 4 months in. I took out the eggs for 2 months, and can now tolerate them just fine with out my previous issues of nausea, back pain and brain fog. Wahoo!
Ok, I say gone for now on some of my issues above, because what happens with this diet, is that you are always healing. You can have some things heal right from the start, and other things can take a couple of years to heal. I have felt fabulous for a while, but then last week we started sauerkraut ( a healing food) it brought some of our old issues up because it is adding beneficial bacteria into the stomach, and all the bad bacteria come out to fight it, and you feel worse again. You are then removing those things from your body, so ultimately it is a good thing, but uncomfortable, so I am trying to control die-off slowly. (More on this in another post).
With all this said, we have had huge gains, but are still working on some things. This diet has been a total life change, hard, but definitely worth it. I've always known in life the hardest things are ALWAYS the most worthwhile!
Britt
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Don't be Afraid!
I know what your thinking! What in the world is up with your blog title?? Seems kind of scary huh? I mean, who eats fat these days? We do!
Several months ago, our family started the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Originally it was for our oldest son who had food allergies, bouts of eczema, chronic allergies, digestive issues, stimming, asthma and a plethora of other things going on in his little body. This diet was too tough to have him do on his own, so our family decided to join in. I thought I would let the other kids eat the diet at home, and then eat whatever at friends houses etc., but soon I found out we were all reacting in one way or another, and strict adherence needed to be followed.
This diet seals and heals the gut lining, while eliminating toxins from the body, and adding back in beneficial bacteria, in order to eliminate the above conditions.
It's been quite a learning curve for this SAD (Standard American Diet) family, but we're giving it a go, and seeing where it takes us! So....what do we eat??
Lots of fat! Not just any old fat, the good fat! Butter (from grass-fed cows), Ghee, tallow(beef fat), bacon, coconut oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, full-fat yogurt, sour cream, kefir and plenty of homemade meat broth. These fats are what heal and seal the gut lining, so foods can be properly digested again. And, did u know your brain is 60% fat? If u dont feed it the good fats, it can't thrive. Soooo many people have reversed Alzheimers, by changing there diet to a high fat diet. Your cells are made up of fat too, so if u want your cells working properly, eat plenty of the good fats too! There are so many benefits to eating good fats, that I will touch on in later posts.
We eat lots of protein
Lots of veggies
Lots of fermented foods (these add back the good bacteria)
Some fruit, nuts and honey
No grains, starches or sugars
We've been doing the diet for 7 months now. We have had some great improvements, lots of die-off (or detoxing), and some minor set backs. This blog is to document our journey, allow me a place to vent once in a while, and maybe help someone along the way!
Happy reading, and eating (butter of course!)
Britt
Several months ago, our family started the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Originally it was for our oldest son who had food allergies, bouts of eczema, chronic allergies, digestive issues, stimming, asthma and a plethora of other things going on in his little body. This diet was too tough to have him do on his own, so our family decided to join in. I thought I would let the other kids eat the diet at home, and then eat whatever at friends houses etc., but soon I found out we were all reacting in one way or another, and strict adherence needed to be followed.
This diet seals and heals the gut lining, while eliminating toxins from the body, and adding back in beneficial bacteria, in order to eliminate the above conditions.
It's been quite a learning curve for this SAD (Standard American Diet) family, but we're giving it a go, and seeing where it takes us! So....what do we eat??
Lots of fat! Not just any old fat, the good fat! Butter (from grass-fed cows), Ghee, tallow(beef fat), bacon, coconut oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, full-fat yogurt, sour cream, kefir and plenty of homemade meat broth. These fats are what heal and seal the gut lining, so foods can be properly digested again. And, did u know your brain is 60% fat? If u dont feed it the good fats, it can't thrive. Soooo many people have reversed Alzheimers, by changing there diet to a high fat diet. Your cells are made up of fat too, so if u want your cells working properly, eat plenty of the good fats too! There are so many benefits to eating good fats, that I will touch on in later posts.
We eat lots of protein
Lots of veggies
Lots of fermented foods (these add back the good bacteria)
Some fruit, nuts and honey
No grains, starches or sugars
We've been doing the diet for 7 months now. We have had some great improvements, lots of die-off (or detoxing), and some minor set backs. This blog is to document our journey, allow me a place to vent once in a while, and maybe help someone along the way!
Happy reading, and eating (butter of course!)
Britt
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