K's personal health journey (members read only): Smart Food Choices that Improve Your Health & Life

[Amulette]

Originally Posted by nycfem

I've never had Kombucha (but certainly know of it), but your story reminded me of a natural health trend that I had a bad reaction to many years ago which was goji berries! I started having them every morning and getting bad stomach cramping, and it took me awhile to figure out that it was the goji berries! Then recently I took iron supplements because I had my iron tested as part of my physical and it came out low, so I thought I could correct it with supplements. I never knew how dangerous it is to get too much iron until the excess supplements made my level too high, and I got quite sick for a long time. Health is a complicated beast!

I agree it is complicated, and there are so many opinions about what is best. It's good that you listen to your body, I'm coming to believe that is the most reliable source. I hope you are all past the iron adventure and that you feel really good!

[ksrainbow]

I was introduced to this supplement mixed with almond and then coconut milk as a daily meal supplement. I was given a 7 day meal trial and am not certain I can commit to the cost. Overall I liked the taste and result of being *full*.

Have any of you tried it and if so may I ask for your experiences pro/con?

Ks-

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by ksrainbow

I was introduced to this supplement mixed with almond and then coconut milk as a daily meal supplement. I was given a 7 meal trial and am not certain I can commit to the cost. Overall I liked the taste and result of being *full*.

Have any of you tried it and if so may I ask for your experiences pro/con?

Ks-

I created this forum thread as a way for me to document my recovery process, in addressing my own diabetic concerns, since my work related accident back in November of 2016. I never created this thread as a forum thread where people could ask for advice about foods or such. It's mainly my own personal thread and about my own health recovery.

So, No, I couldn't know anything about what you talk about in your post.

Thanks for you inquiry, though.

Mostly this personal forum thread is about smart health food choices that have helped me to make better food choices during my own health recovery.

There might be another thread out there, where you might could ask other members about your specific question. Or another member might come across your post here and leave a message for you.

But basically I started this forum thread to document my own health recovery process.... and making smarter food choices, based on a private medical conversation between my own private physician and registered dietician and myself. It's my way of sharing about my own health recovery... with the membership.

K

[ksrainbow]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I created this forum thread as a way for me to document my recovery process, in addressing my own diabetic concerns, since my work related accident back in November of 2016. I never created this thread as a forum thread where people could ask for advice about foods or such. It's mainly my own personal thread and about my own health recovery.

So, No, I couldn't know anything about what you talk about in your post.

Thanks for you inquiry, though.

Mostly this personal forum thread is about smart health food choices that have helped me to make better food choices during my own health recovery.

There might be another thread out there, where you might could ask other members about your specific question. Or another member might come across your post here and leave a message for you.

But basically I started this forum thread to document my own health recovery process.... and making smarter food choices, based on a private medical conversation between my own private physician and registered dietician and myself. It's my way of sharing about my own health recovery... with the membership.

K

My apologies for posting my inquiry in your personal thread/space. Good luck in your journey to better health!

Thank you for responding-

Ks-

[Amulette]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I created this forum thread as a way for me to document my recovery process, in addressing my own diabetic concerns, since my work related accident back in November of 2016. I never created this thread as a forum thread where people could ask for advice about foods or such. It's mainly my own personal thread and about my own health recovery.
K

I wasn't aware of this, sorry to barge in! I saw the title and thought it was a group discussion on healthy foods.

A side note on Goji berries: They are actually considered a medicine (Chinese) that builds up your blood and energy. They are used to tonify the body. I use them, 5-8 berries in a pot of chicken soup or a few in tea, or smoothy but not as a snack..... I think they have been taken out of their cultural context.

Blessings on your healing journey K!

[nycfem]

Originally Posted by Amulette

I wasn't aware of this, sorry to barge in! I saw the title and thought it was a group discussion on healthy foods.

A side note on Goji berries: They are actually considered a medicine (Chinese) that builds up your blood and energy. They are used to tonify the body. I use them, 5-8 berries in a pot of chicken soup or a few in tea, or smoothy but not as a snack..... I think they have been taken out of their cultural context.

Blessings on your healing journey K!

I had them as dried goji berries in yogurt with granola for a morning breakfast. They tasted good but I just reacted to them. That's interesting how you use them and makes sense about taking things out of their cultural context.

[nycfem]

Good to know. And you post really great stuff on it (appreciate your sharing). I'm going to change the title so that it doesn't lead to any confusion among members. I don't think anyone wants to interrupt a thread that is more for reading by other members

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I created this forum thread as a way for me to document my recovery process, in addressing my own diabetic concerns, since my work related accident back in November of 2016. I never created this thread as a forum thread where people could ask for advice about foods or such. It's mainly my own personal thread and about my own health recovery.

So, No, I couldn't know anything about what you talk about in your post.

Thanks for you inquiry, though.

Mostly this personal forum thread is about smart health food choices that have helped me to make better food choices during my own health recovery.

There might be another thread out there, where you might could ask other members about your specific question. Or another member might come across your post here and leave a message for you.

But basically I started this forum thread to document my own health recovery process.... and making smarter food choices, based on a private medical conversation between my own private physician and registered dietician and myself. It's my way of sharing about my own health recovery... with the membership.

K

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Good to know. And you post really great stuff on it (appreciate your sharing). I'm going to change the title so that it doesn't lead to any confusion among members. I don't think anyone wants to interrupt a thread that is more for reading by other members

Thanks so much for the support and right back at cha!


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Here is an update concerning my own health progress:

Last week I had a clinic visit scheduled for a fasting blood lab and an specialized EKG. Both Lab Techs called out sick, so my appt got moved to next week, which is fine with me.

Both tests will determine if I can be weaned off of Glipizide (an experimental treatment I've been on for about a year now) and to be weaned off of Blood Pressure meds. If I pass both tests with flying colors Then I will have successfully addressed the mobility impacts to my health by radically changing my dietary intake choices. For example, I strive to consume basically everything I find tasty via a plant based diet. Once in a 'blue moon', tho, I find myself craving Albacore Tuna, Smoked Salmon, or BBQ'd Pork Chops. LOL, it's like "Kung Fu Fighting", this daily pursuit of not eating any meat products or consuming any dairy products, dairy-based cheese, or bread of any kind.

I'd say that's the hardest thing about my plant based life style now. Bread is super hard on a person's digestive system and it makes one's body work too hard to get rid of something that, what? Is supposed to fill you up? LOL, if people realized how hard bread is on your body, meat and dairy products too, then we'd be a Vegan-Vegetarian 'nation' by now.

I limit sinning with bread (I stick to a quarter slice of Garlic Nan, twice a month). I also have hard, non-negotiable limits on dairy products. My body cannot abide dairy product rashes or health related setbacks, because dairy products convert instantaneously into highly toxic blood sugars, once a person ingests dairy based products. I know, because I am allergic to dairy products and once you've had a near fatal close call at an ER, you just give it up because who wants to die an early death, right?

SoooOOooOOooOooo, I'm kind of excited about a plant based ice-cream that I read about, recently. It's not that plant based ice cream that has been at stores for about two years now... The Halo brand ice cream. Not that one. It's not a soy based ice cream either. It's an Ice Cream called …. tada…

Eclipse. It's owners live in California and I like their mission statement and drive and focus on helping society realize that consuming plant based foods can be nutritious, body-safe, and improve ones health in seriously smart ways.

And who wants "Ice Cream" now? Ha Ha Ha. Of course, I do, but only if it's ~~~>>>>>>> E C L I P S E.

Cheers,

[Kätzchen]

Good news no.1: Today I went for my six month check up. My A1c range is still good (5.4), I lost a few pounds (16), and I still remain on the same dose of meds (Glipizide and Losartan) until next summer. By next summer, if I can show improvement in mobility and a reduction in weight (lose 55 pounds by June) without rocking the A1c 'boat', then my doctor will consider weaning me off both meds I have been taking since a year ago.

Good news no.2: I went grocery shopping again today and while wandering the aisles of my favorite discount grocery store, I saw little packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese type veggie dips. So an idea formed in my head on how to make an alternative veggie dip without using dairy milk products. I am not allergic to organic Feta (goat cheese), so I bought a top shelf Feta cheese and bought some Red and Yellow and Orange sweet peppers and a jar of minced garlic. I have a Ninja food processor, so I set about cleaning and slicing the sweet peppers and processed them into a paste. Then I added all of the Feta (12 ounces), then processed it again after adding several teaspoons of minced garlic. I also added a dash or two of organic coconut cream and as it was processing, I stopped to add a bit of coconut flour and freshly squeezed lemon juice. After pulsing the entire concoction for about three minutes, I taste tested it and Oh My Goodness, it was ….

D e l i s h !

I also found a good buy on heads of organic cauliflower and a few stalks of celery and found a few organic beets (to roast). I cleaned up the heads of cauliflower and dipped buds of cauliflower in my newly made Feta/Sweet Pepper veggie dip. mMmmMmmMmmMMmmm. Soooo good!

When I roast beets, I clean them and cut them into quarters, then soak them in a pickling spice solution OACV, which I sweeten with Stevia drops. I soak them for 48 hours, in a covered container in the fridge. After they've absorbed the flavor of pickling spice mixture for a couple of days, I place them in a ceramic Dutch oven and roast them for a few hours in the late afternoon. The house smells divine and it's a yummy treat to serve on the side with organic salads I make on my own.

Cheers,

K.

[Kätzchen]

It has been about 4 months since I last shared about my health progress.

During the past couple of months, since the Covid-19 outbreak, my primary doctor's office closed and my therapists office closed, so getting my blood labs for my A1c check and staying connected with my medical team has been troublesome. But both teams (primary doctor and therapist) teamed up to do tele-visits by private phone connections. My primary doctor got me into a private lab for my fasting blood labs and we got good news, that my A1c is stable and going down in range, as they adjust the experimental medication I've been taking for the past year and a half (glipizide). My doctor plans to wean me off it, after other criteria demonstrates that it is possible to not take it anymore. I think that is dependent on the mobility issues I have been working on, for the past 3.5 years.

I faced my fears of falling off my bicycle and rode it for the first time, on December 28th. My sister-in-law gave me a fit bit for Christmas and when I select "Exercise" then click on the bicycle icon, it maps your ride and gives you other interesting details - like your sustaining heart beat, calories burned, how many miles you rode, and a picture of what that looks like. That day, the picture was like a big circular doodle, because I only rode around the parking lot of my sprawling neighborhood complex. When I rode that day, it dawned on me that because I don't have the typical brakes, the kind where you squeeze them on the handle bars? That I had to factor in time to stop because I only have the brakes that you use with the pedals. That can be dangerous, stopping, because I have some agility, but only with more practice will my agility improve.

Like this past two weeks, being home due to the "shelter in place" (stay at home, save lives), I have ventured out for more rides. The first time I went out of the neighborhood was last week, I think. I rode for about 4.8 miles. It took me awhile because it is hilly around here and I can't always pedal up a hill -- it's too hard on my lower back. So I'd get off and walk my bicycle up hills and sometimes down hills because the grade index is too steep. In once case the the grade was about 6%, so I walked my bike up the grade and came home a different route. On the fit bit, it won't record the steps you walk while you are in exercise bicycle mode. The picture of the map shows red lines where you bike, but big gaps if you have to walk your bike. Two days ago, I bicycled 6 miles to a destination that takes about 20 minutes by car. That took 3 hours to do on my bicycle. One way. LOL, I had to take the bus home, that day, because my legs were jelly.

Yesterday and today, I pushed myself to do the complete round trip, even if I had to intermittently walk my bicycle, while riding my route. It took me 6 hours to do a round trip. I am building up my strength still, so I think I will not do that round trip unless I give myself time to acclimate to the rigor of riding that trip. Roundtrip, it's approximately 13.6 miles, altogether. Before my work related accident in 2016, I was riding 22 miles per day (11 miles to work, 11 miles return trip home; 11 miles in one hour; one hour to work, one hour to get home). So, you can see that I am not even doing what I used to do and in the same amount of time, either. But I am working at rebuilding muscle and my ability to tolerate longer rides, little by little. At the rate I am going, it might be next summer before I can do what I used to do before. I am happy with what success I have managed to do on my own. Slow and steady, is the way I am committed to my recovery of health.

Tonight, on my way back home, we had a gorgeous sunset in the west, but as one looked east? We had lenticular clouds hovering over the Cascade range of mountains and the spaceship clouds were pink, as they mounded upward over the snowcapped range of mountain tops. I forget what lenticular clouds mean, but I think it means a change in weather, since we've had beautiful clear skies lately... Maybe in the morning we will have a bank of clouds move in and maybe it might be foggy. But the lenticular clouds were spooky looking tonight, yet so beautiful.

Thanks for sharing the journey with me as I continue to make progress.

K.

[nycfem]

Originally Posted by Amulette

I agree it is complicated, and there are so many opinions about what is best. It's good that you listen to your body, I'm coming to believe that is the most reliable source. I hope you are all past the iron adventure and that you feel really good!

Thank you, I AM feeling really good right now, but it took a few months to heal! I agree with you that listening to our bodies is key.