Everyone always says "Happy New Year", but I think I want to say "Healthy New Year" instead. I know this is the time of year that everyone is resolving to eat healthier, lose 10 pounds, and exercise more. I have not made a resolution , per se, but a commitment to myself to listen to my body, slow down when I need to, speed up when I should, and get back to healthy , cleaner eating.
A few years ago I felt meisrable. I was bloated, lethargic, and had gained about 10 pounds. Several doctors visits later, it was revealed that I had something called EOE, which basically is an allergic reaction in the esophagus. After allergy testing we further discovered that I was allergic to basically every thing in the environment, as well as several foods. This was really great to find out because then I could eliminate those foods from my diet. The problem was that there are so many that I basically had to pick and choose what was eliminated based upon how they made me feel.
At the very top of the list, scoring higher than anything else was yeast. Eliminating yeast is really, really hard! We know it's in bread, so that's easy, even though I was a sour dough bread addict, but it's in just about everything you don't expect! Salad dressing, crackers, ketchup, and the list goes on. Also right up there for me are: avocados, bananas, strawberries, cherries, peaches, tomatoes and green peppers. The bananas, avocados, strawberries, and peaches I avoid like the plague because they cause an anaphylactic reaction that lands me in the hospital.
When I got the EOE diagnosis I immediately changed the way I ate, and immediately felt better. I read every label, avoided everything with yeast, and ate super healthy. I lost the 10 pounds, and over all felt 100% better. I kept this going for a good year or so, and then fell off the wagon so to speak, by working a few of the things that make me feel so horrible back in. It was kind of like a bad co dependent relationship. I could live without them, but wanted to try to make it work.
So what led me back to the occasional slice of pizza , the regular twice weekly serving of a tomato based meal? Laziness. I have no excuse other than laziness. I could say it was because of work , being to busy, not having enough time, but that would just be an excuse. Not only have I gained the 10 pounds back, but I feel horrible again. I don't need to search for answers about how to feel better, because I already know what they are. If I eat a cheeseburger with the bun and feel horrible 30 minutes later, I only have one person to blame, ME!
I have made a commitment to myself for 2017 to be more accountable to myself for what I eat. Not because I want to lose 10 pounds (even though I hope to in the process) but I want to get back to feeling good again. I want to remove those things from my diet that are bringing me down and replace them with the things that make me feel good, and no better time to start than today. The holidays are behind us, the extra sweets and holiday food are gone from the house, and I've got a delivery of organic meat arriving tomorrow to fill my freezer. So, today I go back to the way I ate two years ago, and the way I should eat every day of my life.
I am not a nutritionist. I am a middle aged woman who has done a lot of cooking in my life, and has always tried to feed her family well and in a budget. When I set out to start a blog I wanted to incorporate some simple, healthy, budget conscious meals with you, so today I'll share with you my favorite morning smoothie. I had the first "getting back up on the horse" smoothie today and I'm wondering why I ever gave them up.
Smoothies are a great way to pack a lot of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics in to one POW to get your day going. They are great to make and take with you, or sit and sip while enjoying a good book. I tend to keep a lot of fruits and veggies on hand So use what I feel like to make my smoothies. Keep in mind, I have to avoid two big smoothie staples, so you could of course add a banana, and strawberries. My basic recipe for a powerful smoothie is:
1 cup green veggie, either kale or spinach
1 scoop bone meal protein powder
1 cup yogurt
1/2 C almond milk, low fat milk, or water
1/2 C ice
1/2 C fresh fruit like pineapple, berries, banana
Throw all ingredients in blender and enjoy!
Healthy New Year!
Joanne xoxo
