Author Archives: brianzajac

The Benefits of Soluble Fiber

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Adding onto my post about insoluble fiber and the benefits of soluble fiber, I have thoroughly tested acacia powder – one of the most soluble fiber supplements you can get.  Acacia powder is produced from the gum of the Acacia tree (also known as gum arabic) and contains 2.5 grams of soluble fiber per tablespoon.  I suggest using Heather’s Tummy Fiber as it seemed to agree more with my gut than the original fiber supplement I took.  Plus it has a prebiotic that helps with digestion.

Heather's Tummy Fiber Pouch

I Use Heather’s Tummy Fiber Pouch

Why did I need to take it?  Because my diet lacks bread & grains, the binding of foods was difficult due to all the insoluble fiber I was eating.  I originally started with Psyllium Husk only to find out it was too rough for my system.  Frantically finding another solution, I had received an email about Acacia fiber from my mother (thank you!) while at the local vitamin store.  Amazingly the clerk knew about it but didn’t mention it to me.  I cannot stress how important it is to have a good support system and asking for help when you need it.

Here are the doses I took:

– Week 1:  Started 1 Tbps in the morning.  Felt HORRIBLE after taking it.  My penalty for not paying attention to the directions.  You need to take it slowly…
– End of Week 1:  1/2 Tsp morning, 1/2 Tsp late afternoon.
– Week 2 – Same dosage as week 1.  Felt slightly better and did not have to go to the bathroom as frequently.
– Week 3 – 1 Tsp morning, 1 Tsp in the late afternoon.
– Week 4 – 1 1/2  Tsp morning, 1 1/2 Tsp in the late afternoon.
– Week 5 – 1/2 Tbsp morning, 1/2 Tbsp late afternoon.
– …and so on until my goal is 1 Tbsp morning, 1 Tbsp late afternoon / evening.

It’s important to know that (especially in the beginning) the day I would add more dosage, I would get a flare-up.  I would last typically 1-2 days & then subside.  As weeks passed I noticed “my stuff” was binding and I would be less inflamed.  This, in turn, allowed me to start working out at the pool and take less ibuprofen.  And although I wake up 1-2 times a night, I don’t have the urgency to go to the bathroom.

 My Goal

While I don’t expect to be off a soluble fiber supplement for awhile, I eventually want to include grains into my diet to replace the acacia fiber without having a flare-up.  In order to do that, I will need to take the Cyrex test again to see where I stand with Gluten intra-cellular reactivity.

Until then, I am trying to find alternatives like this butternut squash pizza dough recipe.  To make it the least processed, I cut two organic butternut squashes & baked them in a shallow pan with water for an hour (video). Toppings included tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, red onion and healthy pesto from scratch (almond / soy milk for consistency, 2 cups fresh basil, 3 cloves garlic, and 1 cup walnuts and blend together).  Over 90% of the ingredients listed were organic.

Bunnernut Squash Pizza

How Did It Taste?  Well, it ain’t no traditional pizza.  But for someone who can’t eat it, this is about as healthy of a pizza as you can get.  The dough is dry and the pesto doesn’t have enough flavor.  The other toppings are great though.  If I try this again, I would add more ingredients to the pesto and find a way to make the dough less dry.

How Did I React?  Having a pizza this size on it’s own is very filling for my body and I flare up because of it.  Going a day without it I notice an improvement in my health.  I tried a smaller size (1/3 of what you see in the photo above) along with a meal and still did not feel as good.

Side note:  On 11/3 I made a homemade marinara sauce with meatballs & rice – all seems OK.  On 11/5 I substituted rice for organic brown rice pasta – got a flare-up.  Rice cereal still seems OK, but until my symptoms are well under control, I’ll be skipping the “breads” and “pastas”.  It’s just not worth it.

Autoimmune Healthy Meals and Recipes

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Included below are some of my favorite autoimmune healthy meals I make at home.  To save time, I suggest chopping ingredients ahead of time and/or chopping them in a Ninja blender.  Many of the ingredients I use are USDA organic and can be found at the local farmers market.  For those who are on a No-Starch Diet, all you need to do is remove the rice from some of the recipes.

Lunch Time – Pineapple Shrimp on Bok Choy Leaves

Pineapple Shrimp on Bok Choy

Pineapple Shrimp on Bok Choy Leaves

This recipe from Whole Foods makes as a great snack or fresh-tasting lunch dish.  There is usually plenty left over for multiple meals.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound cooked, peeled shrimp, tails removed
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 2 1/2 cups diced pineapple (from about 1/2 fresh pineapple)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 heads Belgian endive, separated into individual leaves or Baby Bok Choy Leaves

Directions

Cook shrimp and place in a large bowl. Add cucumber, pineapple, cilantro and lime juice and stir to combine. Arrange endive leaves or baby bok choy on a serving platter. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of shrimp mixture into each endive leaf and serve.

Dinner Time – Chicken and Rice Stir Fry

Chicken Rice Stir Fry

Chicken and Rice Stir Fry

The chicken and rice stir fry is a great meal for getting rid of those extra veggies lying around.  I add in pumpkin seeds for iron in my diet and crunch for the meal.

Brown Rice Recipe (Takes 1-hour to complete)

  • 1 Cup gluten-free organic brown rice
  • 1 Tbsp (or more) minced garlic or chop up garlic cloves
  • Chop up 1/8 yellow onion
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • Ground Pepper
  • 2 Cups Water

Directions
On medium heat, add coconut oil, onions, and ground pepper.  Let it fry up for 2-3 minutes (onions soft and/or translucent), add in garlic for another minute. Add in rice & water, cover until it boils.  Reduce heat to low, uncover & stir, cover again for 50 minutes.

 

For the stir fry, I suggest not modifying the initial seven ingredients as they make up the sauce.  The rest can be modified anyway you please.

Stir Fry Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp orange juice (1/2 of an orange)
  • 4 Tbsp coconut or liquid aminos
  • 2 Tbsp almond butter
  • 2 dates, pitted
  • 2 Tsp rice or red wine or apple cider vinegar
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1/8 Tsp. red chili flakes
  • 1 pound chicken, thawed
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1/2 lb. green beans, halved or broccoli
  • 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
  • 1 diced red or yellow or green pepper
  • 1 8oz. can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 4 green onions / scallions, thinly sliced

Stir Fry Directions

Blend orange juice and the next 6 ingredients in a high power blender or food processor.  Cook chicken with coconut oil over medium-high heat without browning it.  Add in green beans / broccoli and cook for additional 3 minutes.  Add water if needed.  Add in cabbage, pepper, and water chestnuts, and pumpkin seeds and cook for 4 minutes.  Stir in green onions and orange juice mixture for one minute more.  Serve over brown rice.

Any Time, But This is My Breakfast

Healing Breakfast

My Healing “Breakfast”

Many have asked me what I eat for breakfast since I cannot eat bread, grains, eggs, or fruit (in the morning I’m mostly prone to hypoglycemia). Included is my most versatile and health-packed dish I make.  The key to making this kind of meal is to have everything cut up and prepared before you make it in the morning.  When everything is prepped correctly, it takes a little longer than it would to make an omelette.  To cut costs down, I get my veggies at the farmers market and go to Costco for the coconut oil, garlic cloves and ground turkey.

“Healing Breakfast” Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1/8 cup diced onion
  • Ground pepper
  • 1/5 Container of Butterball Fresh Ground Turkey
  • Simply Organic Chicken Grilling Seasons (Get at Whole Foods)
  • 2-4 Tbsp cilantro
  • 1-2 types of leafy veggies – Bok Choy, Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Sunflower Sprouts, or anything that’s in season at the farmers market.  Start out with a few leaves and adjust accordingly.
  • 1/4 diced red or yellow or green pepper
  • 2 crushed / finely diced garlic cloves
  • 1/2 diced tomato
  • 1/2 cup brown rice (see recipe above)

“Healing Breakfast” Directions

On medium heat, add coconut oil, onion and ground pepper and wait until onion is translucent or browning.  Add in the turkey, seasoning, and cilantro.  Cover and cook until the meat is cooked (not browned).  Add in leafy veggies, pepper, and garlic for 3 minutes.  Turn off heat & add in tomato & brown rice for another 2 minutes.

Dessert – Lemon Treats

Lemon Treats

Lemon Treats – Addictive!

These taste so good I’m going to make some tonight!  Lemon treats are a RAW recipe, so no need to bake – just mix, put in the fridge for 20 minutes and enjoy!  This recipe is a Whole Foods variation because I am food intolerant to sesame seeds.

Lemon Treats Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 lemon for extra kick)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes (optional)

Lemon Treats Directions

Place dates, walnuts, coconut flakes, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Pulse and blend until completely mixed. The mixture will be slightly sticky. With dampened hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. (Optional) Roll in coconut and chill 20 minutes.

My Autoimmune Health 9 1/2 Months Later

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So much has happened since my last blog post almost 2 months ago, that I have decided to create multiple blog entries throughout this week and next week (if you have not done so, subscribe to my blog on the upper-right corner of my web page and you’ll see some great new recipes this week).  In this post, I will be focusing on what has happened to me overall with my autoimmune condition & leave the details to those future posts.

  • Exercise:
    • Chiropractor:  I have skipped around a month going to the chiropractor and allowed my body to heal through other ways of stretching and exercise.  Starting 11/7, I am going back 1X per week for an adjustment and using the power plate for rehabilitation exercises.  I stopped using head weights and home traction for over a month.
    • Walking 10-20 minutes 1-2 times per week.
    • Pool exercises 2-4 times per week in the past two months.  Times range from 1/2 – 1 hour and consist of exercise gloves, aqua fitness jogger (biggest help in my rehabilitation for legs), push-ups, tricep dips on stairs of pool, and climbing in/out of the ladder (increase strength in thighs, butt, and shoulders).  Since the weather has changed in the past week, I am usually going 1-2 times per week.
    • Gym 1 time per week.  Using the elliptical machine, dumbbells / free weights, and nautilus machines (for chest, shoulders, back), and leg press.
    • Wii Fit + for stretching and Yoga exercises in the morning.  I try to do this 2-3 times per week.
    • Until the end of the year I will go to the gym, swim, and power plate 1X each per week.  Wii Fit + 2-3 times per week.
  • Massage Therapist:  Found a licensed massage therapist who has Hashimotos disease (an auto-immune condition dealing with the thyroid) and really understands what I’m going through.  Started off at 1X per week and now down to 1X per 2 weeks.  Her treatments are definitely helping and I’m getting more mobility due to the massages and exercises she suggested at home.
  • Acupuncture:  I tried 3 separate sessions and they did nothing to improve my health.  I have a feeling it’s because I have a systematic issue, not a specific area of pain.
  • Sleep:  Sleep has been tricky lately.  While I stopped needing to go to the bathroom bad throughout the night, I am still waking up 2 – 3 times per night due to stiffness and/or pain.  I can tell, though, this is a transitional period and as long as I go to bed by 10pm & take a nap during the day, I usually get enough sleep.  I’m still figuring out when to take the ibuprofen – if taken too early, it’s hard to fall asleep.  Take it too early and I get up usually 3 times a night.
  • Supplements:  I have removed a majority of my normal supplements about a month ago.  For now, I take acacia fiber & iron, vitamin b complex, and vitamin D3 (5000 i.u.).  No more fish oil, Probiotics, HCL, chromium, digestive enzymes, and magnesium.  Also the Aloe Vera juice made my condition worse, so I stopped taking it.
  • Ibuprofen:  Over the past couple of weeks, I’m noticing my gut starting to do normal functional processes (do I really need to go into detail?).  My ibuprofen has reduced to 1-2 per day, but starting this week I’m able to bring it down to 1 per day (it isn’t easy, but I can do it).
  • Blood Pressure Results
    • April – 94/60
    • Sept. 6 – 104/66
    • Sept. 20 – 110/60
    • Sept. 27 – 100/60
    • Oct. 11th – 100/60
    • Oct. 30th – 90/50
    • Nov. 5th – 106/70
    • Although it fluctuates to lower amounts, there has been no concern from the doctor.  On Nov. 5th, I was on the Wii Fit + and found out that this does increase my heart rate.
  • Testing My Body:  On 10/23 I drank 3 alcoholic drinks (coconut rum with pineapple & cranberry).  The last time I drank was when I was in Costa Rica.  Both times I did not notice a major flare-up.  On 10/19, I stayed at a party till 1:30am and it took me a day to recuperate.  On 10/12 & 11/1 I took ballroom dancing lessons.  The 1st one was difficult and I was very stiff.  The 2nd was much better after 5-10 minutes into the lesson.  I needed 1 ibuprofen for both lessons.
  • Current Areas of Concern:  I have been diagnosed with anemia and possibly Crohn’s Disease (verified with a blood test and CT scan, but final verification is needed with a colonoscopy on 11/19).   Since June 14th (Week 21), I’ve had issues with my neck & shoulders due to chiropractic manipulation and inflammation.  I still only drive locally since I almost got into an accident because a few months ago.  I could not turn my neck and the driver was in my blind spot.  Massages and neck exercises along with health improvements with food are helping – some days I have good motion, others are not good (especially during a flare-up).  Still battling stiffness and soreness, but the length of these issues is getting shorter (depending upon the types of food I eat & testing “fringe” foods).  My weight is stable, but I’m still underweight.  Still mainly sleep on my back and sometimes on my side, but still cannot do a full night of sleep.
  • Areas of Improvement:  I know my game plan for healing.  Although I have not gotten the confirmation on the Crohn’s disease, I know my issue has been gut related the entire time.  Once I get confirmation, I’ll be on a safer low-dose medication than ibuprofen and the doctors will know (and fix) any damage occurred throughout this year.  My gut is starting to function properly and I’ve gone from 6 ibuprofen a day (just a few months ago) down to 1.  My SED rate went from 101 down to 34 on 8/21/12 with my comprehensive blood test and I no longer need to do the Th1/Th2 test due to the significant decrease in the markers of inflammation (Natural doctor confirmed this with me a month ago).  I can stay out longer at night, I have moments where I feel “close to normal”, and I’m able to bend / pick up things easier than before.  I can test foods and no within an hour or two if I’m going to flare-up.  I’ve drastically reduced my supplements and am feeling better and the nutrients in the foods I’m eating are being better absorbed.
  • Enbrel:  It has been almost 9 months since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 127 lbs. and a BMI of 17.75.  Although I cannot verify it, Crohn’s disease makes it difficult to absorb nutrients.  Over time (I’m guessing within the next 3 months), I will start to see my weight increase while the Crohn’s disease is in remission.
  • My End of 2012 Goal:  I am going on a 4-day dance cruise in early December.  My goal is to be able to control the disease and focus on having fun!  It’s my reward for all the hard work I’ve done in 2012.