I have decided to try to eat gluten free. I really wanted to avoid this because I love to eat bread and pizza, but I noticed especially after I eat bread I feel really down. I was talking to Paleena about it and doing research and I found out that you don't have to have Celiac Disease to still benefit from not eating wheat. So far I have done well by not eating wheat. I just take it one day at at time. I went to Red Robin and got my chicken sandwich wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. At Cavan's parents house they had spaghetti so I just ate the meat and the sauce. I do feel good and I am going to go to a gluten free workshop on Dec 10th to learn more. Yesterday I was feeling a cold coming on and really wanted chicken soup but knew the noodles had wheat. So I was impressed with my self when I put together a Qunioa and chicken soup with vegetables made from scratch. It was so good! This might help me with my mood swings, depression, and low blood sugar.

I have tried several new recipes that are made with whole foods. They are not has flavorable as I want them. For example, I made a teriyaki tofu with fried rice. The rice and vegetables were good but I wasn't a fan of the tofu. Then I made a tempeh dish with soba noodles and a peanut sauce. The tempeh was gross and I didn't like the peanut sauce. I tried a quinoa pilaf. I added chicken to it. It was edible but not delicious. I am also having a hard time getting my greens in. I found out I do not like my leafy greens cooked. The smell, texture, and taste is gross. I can get it down in a smoothie or in a salad by eating them raw. Some days I can make it between meals with out snacking, and others days I can't. I need more ideas. I need to be patient to allow my body to accept healthier food.

Eating My Greens and Grains

I have put all of whole grains in mason jars! I spent the afternoon organizing my grains and putting them in a place I will see them to be reminded to cook with them. I love the look of them and feel good to know they will stay fresh longer in the jars. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast and I am excited to be trying new grains.
Today was my first day I really added greens to my diet. For breakfast I made a smoothie with spinach, kale, collard greens, flax seed, an apple, banana, maca, fresh mixed fruit from costco, ice and a little bit of water. It tasted fine. I also had scrambled eggs with zucchini, yellow squash and some red onion. I actually stayed full until lunch. This is the first time I didn't a snack in between meals. In the past I have to snack or my headaches would come and I would get sick. For lunch I had a salad with all the greens I mention and I added baby arugula, carrots, tomotoes, black beans, and flax seeds. I again stayed full until dinner. For dinner I made chili with black and kidney beans. I put zucchin, spinach and flax seed in mine. Paleena wants to work up to added a total of 3 tablespoons of flax seeds a day. I felt good today and look forward to more days like this.

My First Step

The first thing Paleena noticed about my diet was that I was not eating enough vegetables. She wants me to really add a lot of greens into my food. She also wants me to try only eating 3 meals a day without snacks. Eat as much as I need to to get me to the next meal. She said that adding a lot of greens is key to do this. I am very nervous for this because I pretty much eat through out the day. I also have a 7 week old baby that I am breastfeeding. I am willing to try it. Today at the store I bought kale, arugula, collards, wheat grass, broccoli, and spinach. I plan on adding these to my smoothies and making salads with them. I have postpartum depression and this will help with that. I am also adding flax seed, walnuts, and I am willing to try salmon which all of these are high in omega 3's and are supposed to help with depression. I am also doing the yoga pose with my legs up the wall to help with depression. I am also going to be trying some new recipes from Integrative nutrition to add more whole grains like quinoa. It is a DVD I watch from Paleena that talks about eating whole foods.

Starting the Journey

I have decided to take my health to it's fullest potential. I am very passionate about taking care of myself and I realized that I could be doing better. I was noticing that I got headaches a lot. That I was tired a lot, and that some foods made me feel good while others made me feel bad. I discovered that I have low blood sugar. If I don't eat enough protein or eat often enough I would get horrible headache become shaky and just feel horrible. My yoga teacher Paleena is helping me for the next 6 months to find out what foods work for ME. I want to feel better, have a better immune system, sleep better, be in a better mood and be an overall healthy person. This blog will record what I go through as I discover what works for me.