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
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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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