Category Archives: Day 22 to 6 Months

Week 24 – My List of Healthy Fats and Desserts

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What I Learned in Week 24

Segway Ride

Overall: Improving in health, I’m learning my limitations but still pushing forward physically and nutritionally (read below on healthy fats & desserts).  On the left, you’ll see I went on another Segway Tour ride, feeling ready for it.  Review my health below to see how I did before & after the ride.

Last week I dipped under 130lbs. and am finding ways to add in fats and calories to my diet while eating my soluble foods (to bind things), along with exercise from the chiropractor, pool and walking.  Listed below are the good fats in my diet + some desserts I’ve made or are going to try.  If you have a suggestion on healthy fats or dessert ideas, please look at my list of food intolerance and comment below with suggestions.

My List of Healthy Fats & How I’m Using Them:

Healthy fats will allow me to slowly gain the weight I need while giving me energy throughout the day.  I can overdo this (and did this week), so each week I monitor the intake of fatty foods.

  • Avocados – Salads, toppings on meat, substitute for mayonnaise.
  • Nuts – Usually raw & by themselves.  Most common I eat are walnuts, macadamia, almonds, brazil, pecan, pumpkin & chia seeds.
  • Oils – For cooking I use coconut oil, for salad dressing I use extra virgin olive oil.
  • Fish – Salmon, sardines (skinless / boneless) are typical fatty fish I eat.  Be careful not to combine them with an avocado & EVOO as it’s too much healthy fats at one time for my body – especially if I’ve had too many nuts for the day.

Desserts and Recipes:

There are desserts that are delicious but come with a heavy health price tag.  Below are desserts with healthy fats, alternatives to sugar, delicious and quick to make.

  • Chocolate – in bar form, at least 70% Dark Chocolate & sometimes with almond butter.
  • Almond Butter with St. Dalfour Black Current Jam (no sugar cane)
Raw Donut Holes

Raw Donut Holes

Raw Donut Holes

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp cinnamon or 1 of cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp of sea salt
9 dates (can substitute dried figs)

Add coconut to food processor, and process alone for 30 sec to 1 min to release oils. Add in walnuts, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, process until all mixed & fine. Add in dates (pit removed)  & process.  Form into balls with your hands.

Other “Raw Ball” Recipes

Raw “Cookie Dough”

  • 1/2 cup raw coconut butter
  • 1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup dates, pitted
  • 3 Tablespoons raw cacao nibs (you can also sub in raisins)

Combine butter & shredded coconut with vanilla extract & salt and process until smooth.  Add in dates (easier if they have been soaked for a 1/2 day) and process again until sticky & smooth.  Add in cacao nibs / raisins and pulse until evenly distributed in batch.  Roll into balls & add to refrigerator for a few hours.

Vanilla Honey Macaroons

  • 1/2 cup cashews or almonds
  • 2 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 c raw honey
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • Himalayan sea salt

Process almonds / cashews until sand-like texture.  Add with coconut, raw honey & vanilla extract into a bowl and mix together.  Mixture will be sticky so wet hands as needed and roll into balls with lots of pressure (mix can fall apart easily).  Place on dehydrator and dust with salt.  Dehydrate 118 or less overnight.
NOTE:  You can refrigerate instead of dehydrate overnight but mixture won’t hold up as well.

Almond Butter Brownie Sandwiches
  • Almond Butter Raw Brownie Sandwiches (SOURCE)
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dates
5 tablespoons raw cacao powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
(optional) 2 tablespoons honey
pinch of sea salt
almond butter (when ready to serve)
Process pecans / walnuts until they become small and crumbly.  Add in the dates and process so the mixture is sticky.  Add in the remaining ingredients and process – there should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.  Place mixture in a small dish or cake pan and press firmly with hands.  Refrigerate for a few hours and then slice them up.
When ready to serve, combine brownie pieces with with almond butter.  The original brownie recipe is too sweet, but the almond butter’s saltiness evens it out.
  • Amarettis (italian almond cookies) – Will need to test as the recipe calls for 4 egg whites & I’m food sensitive to eggs.
  • Almond milk shake – almond milk, almond butter, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, cacao nibs, some ice, and a frozen banana.
  •  If you have a suggestion on healthy fats or dessert ideas, please look at my list of food intolerance and comment below with suggestions.

My Health in Week 24

  • Overall:   Improving in health, I’m learning my limitations but still pushing forward.  On the left, you’ll see I went on another Segway Tour ride, feeling ready for it.  1 1/2 hours of sidewalk cracks, bumps, and hips / ankles getting a workout, I still felt fine but ankles were definitely swollen (but went down pretty quickly).  Made a big dinner and that evening was my downfall.  The rest of the Saturday evening & Sunday were spent with a sore body all over, swollen ankles, and limping due to hips.  Going to the pool on Sunday helped, but enough rest and then the chiropractor on Monday morning did the trick.  Feeling much better (even in the evening) on Monday compared to the weekend.  I was declining in energy on Tuesday and went to the pool, took a nap, and back to myself in the afternoon.
  • Exercise: FINALLY, I am able to start exercising on a consistent basis.  Exercises consist of:
    • Chiropractor 3X per week (send a comment if you want detailed info):  Neck warm-ups, wobble chair, adjustment, head weights for 10 minutes, traction for 20 minutes, and traction against the wall for 10 (will go up to 20 minutes)
    • Head weights 2X per day for 10 minutes each (1X in the evening if it’s a day at the chiropractor)
    • Walking as far as I can outside (currently around 10-20 minutes)
    • Pool exercises on days not at the chiropractor.  Times range from 1/2 – 1 hour and consist of exercise gloves, walking / high-stepping, push-ups and pulling legs in/out / side-to-side to strengthen core.
  • Sleep:  I am still waking up twice a night.  I go to bed at 10pm, get up around 1am (take 1 ibuprofen), then around 4am (take 1 ibuprofen, 1 probiotic, and fish oil), then finally get up at 6:30-7:30am.  The 2nd time I wake up, I usually pass out and wake up around 5am.
  • Supplements:  Probiotics, Vitamin D3, Magnesium (Gluconate), HCL (1-2 times per week), digestive enzymes, and Maine Omega-3 fish oil are my standard.  I’ve added Chromium Picolinate and Vitamin B-Complex – most of supplementation is done at breakfast time.
  • Current Areas of Concern:  Depending on the type of day (different exercises / activities) and time (evenings are the worst), my hips and ankles still act up.  Also, prolonged sitting enhances stiffness and fatigue.  Still difficult to raise my hands over my head and neck is still stiff (more on left than right).
  • Areas of Improvement:  Adding the chiropractor 3 times a week along with exercise has improved movement / flexibility.  I’m now barely able to bend over and pick up things off the floor (to me this is a BIG win).  Adding the nutrients I lacked from the Metametrix test has boosted my energy levels and reduced swelling.  Overall I’ve made some big steps this week and it’s starting to show.
  • Enbrel:  It has been 19 1/2 weeks since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 130 lbs. and a BMI of 18.18.

Week 23 – Insoluble and Soluble Foods

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What I Learned in Week 23

Overall:  This week I’m learning the importance of having all food groups.  The starch is needed to bind the nutrition within my body and I’m seeing results of that this week.  To help keep things binding while the stuff exits, I need to focus more on soluble foods.  Included below are those soluble foods I can have + my daily diary on starch.  According to the No Starch Forums, I should have a flare-up if I eat this much starch.  But as you can see below, I don’t have any major spikes in health this week.

Insoluble and Soluble Foods:

Soluble fiber dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not. To some degree these differences determine how each fiber functions in the body and benefits your health.  These information tables show us what is insoluble and what is soluble.    Let’s look at rice and potatoes for example:

  • Brown Rice (1/2 cup cooked): 1.4g fiber, 1.3g soluble, .1g insoluble
  • Potatoes (1 small):  2.4g fiber, 2.4g soluble, 4,8g insoluble

For me, I need much more soluble fiber in my diet.  So I would eat more rice than potatoes. Why is soluble fiber so special? Because unlike any other food category, it soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestinal contractions resulting from the gastrocolic reflex, and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. That’s right – soluble fiber prevents and relieves BOTH diarrhea and constipation. Nothing else in the world will do this for you.

Update – November 9, 2012:  One of the most effective soluble “foods” for me is acacia fiber and I take it every morning to help “bind” my system.

Other foods that I can have that are soluble:
  • Apple (with skin)
  • Banana
  • Blackberries
  • Grapefruit
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Tangerine
  • Orange
  • Psyllium Husk (highest)
  • Pinto & White Beans (need to test)
  • Artichoke
  • Asparagus
  • Green Peas
  • Okra
  • Edamame
  • White Rice

Testing Rice:  Due to recent test results, I must now eat starches to balance my system.  However, this goes completely against the theories of the No / Low Starch Diet, NSD / LSD, (no grains, 2nd row) which my diet was originally based from.  Symptoms can take 3-4 days to fully manifest, and here are the daily events of what happened after:

NOTE: neck / shoulder and various pains fluctuated between mild to none, hips, ankles, and spots throughout body are hardest to move after getting up from a sitting position, and sharp pains of gas happen after a main meal is consumed (I’m assuming it’s adjusting to the rice).

  • 6/18 – Took a nap after eating the rice and felt instantly better – more mobility, less pain, and more energy (allowing me to do some things I haven’t done in months).
  • Morning after 6/19, my nose feels stuffy, but the pain has not increased.
  • Afternoon and evening the stuffiness went away and continued feeling better than I was before I ate the rice.
  • 6/20 (2 days after 1st rice) – Woke up and left leg is doing shooting pains again.  Went to the chiropractor to “mirror image” me & fix the issue.  I ate another portion of similar size at noon, went to sleep for two hours and got up hurting and tired.  Evening time was not too bad, but still limping from the left hip.
  • 6/21 Woke up at 2:30am and had to go #2 badly.  However, I was feeling much better when I woke up and it continues to be better throughout the morning.  Hips are much better than yesterday, but still limping a bit.  Ankles (especially right) keep swelling up throughout day.  Took a small walk around 7:45pm.
  • 6/22 – Went to bed at 10:30pm, got up at 1am, 2am, 4:30am, and then finally 6:30am.  Left leg is starting to get shooting pains again & feet continue to be swollen throughout the morning and day.  Chiropractor at 10am then 1/2 cup brown rice at noon with some chicken & spinach.  Pains throughout body / tired and took a nap (due to chiropractor – this is typical).  Woke up and feeling better but still limping.  Evening time was able to pick up groceries at WalMart & then go to dinner where I had a 10oz. steak.
  • 6/23 – Only woke up once and the swelling in the ankles has come down (due to the L-Carnitine in the steak?) & still limping in the morning.  Went to the pool at 11:30am & then felt the best I’ve felt all week – no shooting pains from the hip & upper-body pains are diminished.  Took a nap and got up without limping as much as I used to.  Went to see the movie “Brave” and sat for 2 1/2 hours (50 minutes of commercials!) and felt the pain in my hips throughout the movie.  Ate big fajita (no tortillas) at Moe’s and was able to go to Whole Foods and got done around 9pm.  My ankles were really feeling it towards the end, but movement helped with the hips.
  • 6/24 – Got up twice throughout the night as usual and woke up with some hip pain (the usual, hardest to get up but gradually gets better).  Ankles continue to swell up but the pain is still not as bad as before I had that steak on 6/22.  Took a nap at 12:30 and pain is mainly felt in the ankles when I walk around too much.  Ate 1 cup of brown rice with spinach & salmon around 3pm – feeling slower / little more tired (but then again the weather has been rainy all weekend long).  Late afternoon vacuumed, watered neighbor’s plants & did some small housework.  Evening time must be paying for it (night time is by far the worst time for me) – right shoulder blade aches, ankles swell (iced 3 times today), and left hip doing a shooting pain getting out of the chair.  Overall just feel drained and achy.
  • 6/25 – Got 9 hours of sleep & woke up twice; feeling better than last night (had evening & morning BM that might have helped).  Ate less at breakfast and kept feeling great throughout morning and chiropractor (adjustment & traction were the easiest they’ve been in months).  Took a nap and woke up with some pains & limping (but not as bad as last night) as I forgot to take an ibuprofen.  Evening time better than last night even after having dessert (almond butter, black currant jam & chocolate coconut ice cream in a small bowl).
  • 6/26 – Woke up three times and tried to lie on my side after the 1st time I woke up.  While I got 1 1/2 hours from it, I paid the price until the morning.  Left hip was acting up again (most likely due to the chiropractor) but has gone away mostly after putting on the orthotics and walking around some.  Energy levels seem to be the same as the past few days / mornings.  Eating a smaller portion of breakfast is helping out my stomach.  Busy work day, but I was able to get a nap in.  Eating nuts & seeds throughout the day.  As the day progresses, I don’t feel right.  And as usual, it amplifies after 8pm – feeling like I have the flu (slow, tired, hard to think and achy areas).  I was able to get in a small walk in the evening.
OVERALL SYNOPSIS:  Although you see many fluctuations, there were no flare-ups of any kind.  My body is rebuilding itself and things just take time to fix.  Going to the chiropractor helps me in the long run (i.e. used to have shoulder blade pains, but they’re gone due to traction, larger disk space in lower-lumbar spine) but can hurt me / make me sore hours after I do it and/or the next morning.  But the symptoms are decreasing (i.e. time length of bad hip decreased from 8 days to 2 days to the same day).  The starch from the rice has done a good job binding the nutrients that I need.  Examples are overall increased energy, fats don’t pass through my body, and swelling decreasing.  I wouldn’t be surprised if my SED rate (inflammation rate) has gone down.  But, I’m still not there yet and need to constantly monitor my condition throughout each day.
Brown Rice and Spinach
Typical Rice Meal + Protein – Organic, Gluten-Free Jasmine Brown Rice

My Health in Week 23

  • Overall:  Fluctuating but improving is my overall theme this week. Sole Support orthotics are working to help when my hip gets bad, but the high arch is not good for my ankles (I go barefoot for that).  We had a tropical storm “Debbie” go through Florida and had numerous days of clouds, rain & wind.  Combined with the ups & downs of my health, it’s been a pretty lonely and depressing week.  I look forward to the sun and doing a fun activity on Saturday.
  • Sleep:  As with many other previous weeks, I am still waking up twice a night (sometimes once, sometimes 3 times).  I go to bed at 10pm, get up around 1am (take 1 ibuprofen), then around 4am (take 1 ibuprofen, 1 probiotic, and fish oil), then finally get up at 6:30-7:30am.
  • Current Areas of Concern:  Hips / ankles are still sore / swollen, energy levels plummet at night (feels like a mild flu each night).  I long for a good solid night of sleep.  Neck is a little harder to turn to the right and difficult to get up out of chair & the bed.  Weight has dropped again, but I’m investigating ways to build that back up with starches & good fats.
  • Areas of Improvement:  Continuing ibuprofen regiment to reduce inflammation & pain (alternating times throughout the day as pain is the least then).  Only needed to take 1 nap a day since my energy has increased & pain decreased.  Had the best chiropractic adjustment / traction on Monday in months.  Just landed a few new projects for work & we’ll see how I can cope sitting in the chair longer (standing isn’t much of an option since the ankles swell up quickly).
  • Enbrel:  It has been 18 1/2 weeks since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 129.5 lbs. and a BMI of 18.12.

Week 22 – Metametrix Test and Hair Analysis

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What I Learned in Week 22

Overall:  Due to recent test results (listed below), I must now eat starches to balance my system.  However, this goes completely against the theories of the No / Low Starch Diet, NSD / LSD, (no grains, 2nd row) which my diet was originally based from.  Since it can take 3-4 days for symptoms to fully manifest, here is what happened after I ate the rice:

  • Took a nap after eating the rice and felt instantly better – more mobility, less pain, and more energy (allowing me to do some things I haven’t done in months).
  • Morning after my nose feels stuffy, but the pain has not increased.
  • Afternoon and evening the stuffiness went away and continued feeling better than I was before I ate the rice.
  • Tomorrow I will eat the other half of the rice & some more spinach for lunch and see if the “feeling better” trend continues.
Brown Rice and Spinach

My 1st Starchy Meal in 5 Months – Organic, Gluten-Free Jasmine Brown Rice

Hair Analysis Test

Results came back from Doctor’s Data on my hair analysis test and showed low levels in all heavy metals except Mercury.  Mercury showed up as medium (80th percentile).  From here, it’s been suggested that I take the urine heavy metals test since it gives a more accurate measurement by swallowing an agent (pill for example) that picks up the heavy metal(s) and then you urinate it out.  If confirmed for Mercury, I would need to take a test of the blood-brain barrier & then IV Chelation.  Also, it’s been suggested I take the metal fillings from my teeth (I have two) before the Chelation.

Metametrix Test

The Organix Profile provides a view into the body’s cellular metabolic processes and the efficiency of metabolic function.  Basically if you’re lacking in nutrition, this test will help find the problem areas.  Here are mine:

  • Fatty Acid Metabolism high – it won’t absorb DHA / EPA fatty acids in my body correctly.  So all that fish & Omega-3 supplements I’ve been taking haven’t been working.  To balance, I need carnitine (found in steak / beef) & B2.  In fact, I need a B-Complex to balance out my B-Vitamins.
  • Carbohydrate Metabolism Very High – Because I’ve been on the low-starch diet, I haven’t been eating nearly enough carbs.  It’s so bad, I was diagnosed with Ketosis – basically the biggest reason I got so skinny & underweight; I turned whatever fat (which I didn’t have much to start with) into energy. For me, fruit isn’t enough – I need a starch.
  • 5-Hydroxyindoleacetate is high, I need to eat more turkey since it has the Tryptophan (stuff that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving turkey dinner) that I need.  My breakfast consists of ground turkey almost every morning so I’m OK here.
  • Picolinate is high, I need to lower the protein and add in the carbs.  Again, I’ll need a starch to balance this out.
Now that you’ve heard all the science stuff, here’s what’s going on.  I am headed to Ketosis because I’m not eating any starches like rice & potatoes.  My protein levels are too high creating an acidic body (and increasing bacteria).  My fatty acids are not being absorbed and my antioxidants are too low due to protein levels.  Combine that with the idea from the USDA Food Pyramid below and you’ll see that I need starchy grains.  According to my food intolerance tests, the only thing I can choose from now is rice and potatoes.  And thus why I went out to Publix right after the phone call, picked up organic, gluten-free jasmine brown rice and had it for lunch.  Although this is a huge risk for me since it goes against my original diet plan of NSD / LSD (no starches), it’s one I had to take.  And, so far, the risk is paying off.
 USDA Food MyPyramid Food
To recap, here’s what I need to take:
  • Rice and potatoes (take small dose, test for a few days)
  • B-Complex supplement
  • Multivitamin that does not include iodine

Chiropractor Spinal X-Rays

Without going too much in-depth, my spine has seen an overall dramatic improvement in my lower back area and doing OK for the neck area.  However, I am still too weak (especially the neck) and they are going to put me on a protocol to build me up.  Here are some of the important X-Ray results:

X-Ray-Low-Back_6_8_2012

X-Ray Lower Back 6-8-2012 | 45% difference than November 2011.  Discs are fat and it’s where I need to be.

X-Ray-Neck_6_8_2012

X-Ray of Neck 6-8-2012 | 35% difference than November 2011.  Needs work & strength training, good improvement.

My Health in Week 22

  • Overall:  Continue to wear my Sole Support orthotics as directed and found a great place where you can put your orthotics in sandals (I bought NAOT FOOTWEAR MIKAEL since it allows you to replace the insoles with your own orthotics – make sure to ask if these do that since I bought them at a Natural Comfort Footwear retail store), seeing big improvements since eating the rice on 6/18, and sleep continues to be the same.
  • Sleep:  As with many other previous weeks, I am still waking up twice a night.  I go to bed at 10pm, get up around 1am (take 1 ibuprofen), then around 4am (take 1 ibuprofen, 1 probiotic, and fish oil), then finally get up at 6:30-7:30am.
  • Current Areas of Concern:  Neck is still weak and shoulders are still sore, but much better after eating the rice.  Nighttime is still the “achiest” time of day but I’m finishing this blog up at 10:15pm and can still keep going – woo hoo!  Ankles still swollen and probably won’t improve until I get really used to the orthotics and strength training.
  • Areas of Improvement:  Continuing ibuprofen regiment to reduce inflammation & pain.  Only needed to take 1 nap a day since my energy has increased & pain decreased.  I still have work to get done and tests for the potato and rice aren’t complete, but I am turning a corner here.  That finish line is getting really close!
  • Enbrel:  It has been 17 1/2 weeks since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 132 lbs. and a BMI of 18.46.

I want to end this blog from a song that’s been resonating in my heart.  I feel that John Mayer’s “Shadow Days” lyrics describe me and my situation very well:

I’m a good man, with a good heart
Had a tough time, got a rough start
But I finally learned to let it go
Now I’m right here, and I’m right now
And I’m open, knowing somehow
That my shadow days are over
My shadow days are over now