Day 14 Food Reboot

Unique Events for the Day:  4 days of USDA organic food bought tonight for week #3 of the diet.  Week 3 is said to be the hardest week and based on all the veggies I bought tonight, it’s going to be interesting…

 

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 10:30 & got up at 5:00am with the right leg / buttock area of inflammation with moderate shooting pains.  Back stiffness was prevalent throughout entire back plus the feeling of body aches all over.  I’ve had this feeling before and this could be as simple as changing my office chair back pillow with the foam support I used from the chiropractor yesterday.  I will be using the pillow on the backside of my chair today.  Tried to go to bed at 5:30am with a cold pack on my mid-side & shoulder areas which seems to have helped.  I will apply a heating pad on the neck today.  Got up & out of bed around 6:45am battling the shooting pains down the right leg / buttock area.

Chiropractor: Head weights 2X per day (10 min. morning & evening) + Denny roll 2X in morning & evening (20 min.)

Morning Physical Symptom Check:  My normal stiff lower & less mid-back (moderate stiffness).

Smoothie Recipe (Banana, Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Smoothie Recipe)
•1 banana
•1 carrot
•2 slices of pineapple (makes around 1 1/2 cups)
•1 Cup of sunflower sprouts
•1 Cup Spinach
•2 Cups of Rainbow Swiss Chard
•Almond Butter 1 Tablespoon
•Bee Pollen (1 Tablespoon)
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
Synopsis of Smoothie:  Smoothie was at a good amount of thickness.  Although you can taste the pineapple & acidity, it doesn’t overpower the drink due to the peanut butter.  I couldn’t taste any berries, carrot, or the other 4 cups of vegetables.   Makes less than 2 1/2 glassfuls.
Mid-morning Snack:  Handful of almonds, walnuts, craisins, 4 dried figs, and a Brasil nut
Lunch Menu:  Tomato Soup + 2 Collard Wraps & Pineapple
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Collard Green Wraps (2) Includes:

Collard Green Roll-up Directions: To roll the collard green, remove the bottom stem by making a “V” cut & start to roll from the “V” cut end.
Synopsis of Lunch: Everything tasted OK, but it’s a start to much better tasting collard green wraps.

 

 

 

Dinner Menu:  Salad, Shrimp Curry & Eggplant w/ Veggies (Whole Foods)

  • Salad – Snow Peas, broccoli, romaine lettuce, radishes shredded, shredded carrots, carrot dressing
  • Shrimp Curry – Can’t remember, but didn’t have any starches
  • Eggplant w/ Veggies – Eggplant, jalapeno, peppers, squash
  • 2 hours later I had handful of sunflower seeds, almonds, 1 dried fig & macadamia nuts

Synopsis of Meal:  The eggplant had a kick and it was a nice change of pace with the curry.  Salad was a standard raw meal.

Evening inflammation check:  Feeling tired mainly throughout the day.  My A.S. was acting up & got progressively better as the day progressed.  It took me 2 naps to get things going better.  The main issue is the body aches & some shooting pains.  I hope to get a better sleep tonight.  I’m also hoping to see more out of my body in week #3.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Better today than yesterday, but still prevalent.  Using fennel helps a lot when it acts up.

Day 13 Food Reboot

Unique Events for the Day:  Last day for the chiropractor and found a No Starch Diet (NSD) version of hummus.  Today was also a pure vegan day (soup was heated, not cooked).

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:30 & got up at 6:20am with the moderate right leg / below buttock area of inflammation with moderate shooting pains.  Back stiffness was quite moderate.

Chiropractor: Today is the last day at my Chiropractor’s office until mid-April.  I will continue home rehab + exercises.  Refer to My Daily Routine for more details.  Head alignment machine, Pettibon / Wobble Chair, neck & lower back / spine adjusted, neck alignment for 12 minutes, Head weights 2X per day (10 min. morning & evening) + Denny roll 1X in evening (20 min.)

Morning Physical Symptom Check:  My normal stiff lower & less mid-back (moderate stiffness).

Smoothie Recipe (Banana, Mango, Papaya & Strawberry Smoothie Recipe)
•1 frozen bananas
•2 1/2 cups papaya (half of papaya)
•1 Cup blueberries
•3 Cups Dinosaur kale
•1 Cup of Rainbow Swiss Chard & Spinach
•Almond Butter 1 Tablespoon (Optional)
•Bee Pollen (1 Tablespoon)
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
Synopsis of Smoothie:  Back on the Omni, the overall taste was flat.  Adding the almond butter made it creamier but still more subtle in the tastes. Makes less than 2 1/2 glassfuls.
Mid-morning Snack:  Handful of almonds, walnuts, craisins, 4 dried figs, and a Brasil nut
Lunch Menu:  Salad & Tomato Soup with Broccoli
  • Salad – spinach, 1/2 avocado, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, Himalayan salt, crushed pepper
  • Tomato Soup with Broccoli – Salad & Tomato Soup
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 Campari tomatoes, chopped
  • 3/4 cup dried sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 mango, peeled and pitted
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dulse flakes
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil (or use chopped, fresh basil)
Directions on Soup:  Blend everything for 35+ seconds in blender. Then heat up on stove (try not to get above 118 degrees) with raw broccoli.
Synopsis of Lunch: Typical raw food average lunch.  Eventually I want the tomato soup to be the base & then add more ingredients later.

Dinner Menu: Stuffed Red Peppers (SOURCE)
  • 2 red bell peppers (cut into sections)

Filling (Blend altogether until thick & smooth)

  • 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds (subbed soaked walnuts)
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (mixed capri tomatoes with cherry tomatoes)
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 1 small carrot (Not in recipe, I added)
  • 1/2 tsp. each of cayenne powder (subbed chili pepper), paprika (didn’t have it), basil, oregano, and garlic.
  • 1/2 small onion (chopped)
  • 2 tbs. lemon juice
  • 1 tbs. olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Topped with Avocado (added lemon, salt & pepper directly to it)
  • (1) Kiwi fruit
  • Ended with a piece of Dark Chocolate (over 80%)

Synopsis of Meal:  The chili pepper has a kick, but it wasn’t too strong for me.  A good combination of crunch & creamy.  To break it up, you could add diced zucchini, carrots, and/or celery.  The pate-like filling can be reused for many other quick meals or added to various vegetables (similar to what you would do with hummus).  The filling is basically my No Starch Diet (NSD) equivalent to hummus.

Evening inflammation check:  Throughout the day I had my back right thigh acting up more than usual and I’m also more tired than usual.  However, this might be due to fixing things around the house & all the driving I did over the weekend.  Since inflammation is most prevalent after the Denny Roll, I’m going to report on that from now on.  As usual, inflammation below the right-buttock area & shooting pains in the right hip.  Continued stiffness in back, but mostly tired.  It’s around 10pm and I’m headed off to bed.  I’m hoping for 8 hours this time.

Gas / Bloating Check:  Over the last 2 days I’ve reduced my psyllium intake to 3/4 teaspoon 2X / day.  I’ve noticed an increase in gas / bloating this afternoon & evening.  I’ll go back to my normal dosage tomorrow.

Day 8 Food Reboot

Until recently, I had no idea broccoli looked liked this in it’s natural form.  For those who don’t know, this is broccoli picked the same day from the farm.  I picked this one up today at Food & Thought in Naples.

Waking Up:  Went to bed at 11:30pm & got up at 6:20am with the right leg / buttock area of inflammation with shooting pains – it seems to have gotten worse.  Although the Metamucil has helped with the gas/bloating, I found out that it contains nasty ingredients like natural & artificial flavors, yellow 6 & aspartame (yikes!).  Switched to another fiber supplement today – Organic India’s Fiber Harmony Orange Flavor.  It contains psyllium, aloe vera, inulin, and organic orange flavor.  There are no sugars, artificial sweeteners (I think those flare me up but can’t prove it yet), colors or flavors.

Chiropractor: Head alignment machine, Pettibon / Wobble Chair, neck & lower back / spine adjusted, neck alignment for 12 minutes, Head weights 2X per day (10 min. morning & evening) + Denny roll 1X in evening (20 min.)

Morning Physical Symptom Check:  My normal stiff lower & less mid-back (less than moderate stiffness), turning my head all the way to the left I feel a tiny bit sore.  I did get shooting pains from my right hip as I got out of bed.  But it subsided as I walked about a minuted. I took my Enbrel shot this morning (normally take 2X per week) & can feel congestion in my nose after I took it (quite mild, but noticeable).

Smoothie Recipe (Banana Smoothie Recipe)

•1 banana, peeled
•1 cup papaya, cubed (substituted Apple)
•1 mango, peeled and pitted
•1 tablespoon cacao powder
•3 cups Swiss chard, chopped (subbed 2 Cups Kale, 1 Cup spinach)
•1-2 small vine tomatoes
• Strawberries (handful)
•1 small to medium-sized carrot
•3 to 4 ounces of filtered water
• Bee Pollen (1 Tablespoon)

Synopsis of Smoothie:  While it tasted good, it makes 3 glassfuls!  Try removing the mango, apple, & strawberries.  Keep the veggies as-is.

Good Belly Crisis:  I’m currently out of the Good Belly Big Shot because the local distributor is out.  I went to 4 natural food stores and none of them had it.  I ended up finding the fruit-based Good Belly that contains 20 Billion Probiotics per serving.  I’ll use that as a backup as I’m now on the hunt for the Big Shot.

Lunch Menu:  Collard Green Lettuce Wraps & Fruit
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  • Tomato Sauce Leftovers of Cheezy Cannellonis (Refer Back to Day 5)
  • Collard Green Wraps (4) – Makes a “Sandwich” Effect
  • Garlic, Rosemary, Lime & Pepper
  • Sweet Pepper (2)
  • Sunflower Sprouts
  • Carrot (1)
  • Pineapple Slice
  • Black Sapote (dark brown fruit)
  • Dried Fruit (Few Pieces)
  • Walnuts (Handful)
  • Almonds (Handful)

Dinner Menu: Berries & Spinach Salad (Fresh Market)

  • Spinach (90% of the meal)
  • Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries
  • Feta cheese (takes up 1% of the total meal + adds a savory flavor)
  • Walnuts
  • No dressing was added, but balsamic or lime w/ salt/pepper might be good

Gas & Bloating Issue 3rd Day Test:  I’ve had a few bloating issues today & the evening.

Evening inflammation check:  Right thigh & right buttocks area with shooting pains when I twist. Yesterday was around a 4 or 5 out of 10 pain scale.  It’s now up to 6-7 (especially when I’m on the Denny roll and get out of bed). Mild stiffness in lower back.
Digestion:  Some bloating & gas, but manageable.
Neck Issue Check (Evening):  Done.  Yes!