Infinitely Seeking Health

  Oh my goodness, I made it ninety days!!! This is so crazy to me, because, in the beginning, I wasn't sure that I'd last thirty. I'm proud of myself for the first time in a long time. Yay me!!! So what's next? Well, a month ago, I would've told you that I was immediately adding back eggs, nuts and chocolate into my diet. Haha!! No, seriously!!! Today, I'll tell you that while my body has made huge strides towards healing and that I know I'm on the right track, I know that I need to continue to be vigilant. I'm just not 100% there yet. I know my adrenals are taxed. I know that my gut needs to be healed. I also know that my body is not where it needs to be. So, I'm continuing to follow the elimination phase of the autoimmune protocol.  Here's the thing; I feel so much better, but I'm still struggling. I struggle with my moods, with exhaustion, and with chronic pain. This is not a quick fix, by any means, but I know that ...

The theme for this week is going to be use what I've got. Haha! My daughter had another dance competition this past weekend and they wear me the heck out. Not only do we get very little sleep on comp weekends, but this weekend I didn't pack food. I still ate clean, but I was forced to eat things that I wasn't sure of the seasonings and oils that were used to cook them. I'm not sure if I'm reacting to seasoning, oil or just the physical toll comp weekends place on my body, but I'm puffy and feeling yucky today. It might also be allergies. I'm just not sure.  What I do know is that I have to have a plan to stay on-track this week. I also know that I don't have the energy to go on a huge shopping trip (we live about an hour away from grocery stores that carry much of the stuff we use), so this week I'm cleaning out our freezer and we are going to make do with what we have. I'll stop by our local store for fresh veggies.  Last night I m...

Last week wasn't my best week. I stayed on track with eating, but on Monday I reacted to an ingredient in coconut milk, which threw me off ( read about here ). It left me feeling fatigued, swollen and just not great. I know it seems strange that a glass of coconut milk could do that, but food has much more power over how we feel than we think, especially if our body's sensitive to that food. My daughter also had an out-of-town dance competition yesterday, which is always draining. Monday sort of snuck up on me, so my meal plan this week is quick and easy, but I need to type out my plan for the week, just to stay on track. Monday: Roasted chicken and veggies (I had some leftovers from this weekend) Tuesday: Lemon garlic herb salmon  with cauliflower rice and veggies  Wednesday: Deconstructed egg roll bowls ( recipe )  Thursday: prawn mango avocado salad with lemon-lime dressing  (omit the red pepper flakes and pepper if followi...

For centuries there's been theories about how food heals us or makes us sick. Most of these theories get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. Many of us are too focused on our careers, our finances and our families to notice that the very foods we consume daily are the cause of many of our health issues. I mean, obviously, most of us know that eating fast food and junk food is not good for us and comes with grave, health risks, but what if some of the "healthy" foods we consume regularly are causing our health issues? I'll be honest, that's not something I'd ever considered prior to watching the Thyroid Secret and starting the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). However, thirty-eight days in and I can say without a doubt that food is the cause of much of my suffering.  Watching the Thyroid Secret was difficult for me. The series is long and I was desperate for answers, yet still very skeptical. I watched, but I'll admit that I skipped through some of it. ...

It's only been a couple of days since my last  post  about reaching thirty days of following the AIP & how I'm removing toxins from my kitchen and bathroom, but I wanted to post next week's meal plan earlier, since it's Easter Weekend. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! I'm still feeling great, which is amazing!!! 🤗 This week I added collagen to my diet. Collagen has many health benefits; it supports healthy joints & ligaments, improves gut health & is great for hair & nails. I've read a lot about its benefits,  here's   one of the posts that I read. I use the same brand as she recommends & I purchased it from Amazon. So far, I've just been adding 2 scoops to a blender with coconut milk & a 1/2 cup frozen mango. It is delicious & tastes like a creamy treat.  In my last  blog  I'd mentioned that I wanted to switch out my makeup & only use my designer stuff for special occasions. Well, I haven't made too ...

Woohoo!!! Today it has been thirty days since I started following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)! I can't believe it's been thirty days & I've had no crazy cravings or cheat foods. I simply feel too good to risk going backwards. It really is that serious. I cannot remember a time when I've felt as good as I do. I know I'm on the right path & I know my body is communicating with me loud & clear.....this time I am actually listening. In addition to faithfully following the AIP, I've also been attempting to reduce my toxic load. I'm currently reading the  Hashimoto's Protocol  & the first part of the book is about liver toxicity. There's a questionnaire in that section (see below) & I had sixty-seven, SIXTY-SEVEN, of the symptoms for liver toxcity. That was just shocking to me. I've been poisoning myself for years, even when I thought I was being pretty healthy.  SIDE NOTE:This book is changing my life. I defin...

It's crazy that four weeks of following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) has flown by, but here I am getting ready to begin week five. I feel amazing & ready to continue this journey. I truly feel that this is the answer I've been desperately seeking for so many years. This week I'm only including meals for five nights, because ultimately we end up eating leftovers at least twice a week. For instance, this week's carnitas recipe makes enough for two or more nights. If for some reason we didn't have enough for leftovers, I always just resort to a simple protein & veggies. I also left out the veggie for each night, because I've found that I'm extremely limited to the veggies I can eat right now. I've been reacting to so many veggies & I'm limiting all veggies that are high inhistamines. So, as far as side dishes go, I'm pretty boring. 😉 Breakfast & lunches will include chicken breast, sausage patty (recipe in last week's p...

I'm beginning week four of the AIP & I feel stronger than ever. I have energy that I haven't had in years, my chronic pain is so much better & I'm  just thrilled with my progress. 😊 The best part is yesterday we went grocery shopping for the week & we stopped at an Italian market that had the best looking fresh pastry case, & I went over there ordered my hubby an eclair (his favorite), my youngest two a cookie & my eldest daughter got a a couple macarons (my favorite), but I didn't feel any desire to have one for myself. I'm just in the zone, feeling great & not willing to go of course. Willpower, when it comes to sugary foods, has never been my strong suit, so I'm feeling accomplished & proud. Pinterest has been my bff with meal planning. I knew that chicken & veggies would get old pretty quickly, so I've been trying tons of recipes to satisfy my palate. You may think eliminating so many foods would be daunting, but I...

It has been over a year since I wrote about being stuck . I'd like to say that it's because I've figured everything out, am at my goal weight & feeling healthier than ever, but that'd be a lie. The truth is that this past year brought many changes to my life & I have found myself struggling to just keep moving. It seems that around every corner there is a new challenge that I must figure out. Luckily for me, while life may throw some curveballs, I do realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by love. While love can't solve problems, it sure makes waking up each day easier.❤️  The biggest problem for me is my overall health & weight. I know that my health issues exacerbate every other issue that my body has. My weight gain increases my chronic pain in my back, neck & shoulder. It causes anxiety & depression, which makes me want to stay in bed. Staying in bed increases my chronic pain, because I'm not providing blood flow to my injured body par...