Diet Change

So, some of you heard me lamenting my allergie/sinus issues in my last post.  The very abbreviated version is this:  I spent three days outside weekend before last then I could barely breathe the following Monday.  I made an appointment with the doctor, to the bemusement of my husband.  His prediction of the outcome:  "Maybe he'll give you a prescription you won't take."

You were almost right, honey, but instead of one Rx, I was given four I wouldn't take.  

You have to understand, I am not a medicine gal.  I hate the thoughts of putting any more chemicals in my body than I already do with all the processed foods we eat.  And medicines are just concentrated chemicals.  Ugh.  I asked both the nurse, who came back in the room to explain about the prescriptions, and the pharmacist if it was safe to take all four drugs together.  The pharmacist literally laughed at me.  I know they deal with drugs all the time; I do not.  I can not tell you the last time I even took Tylenol or any OTC med.

And then I got home and read the bottles, which said things like, "May cause headaches," (I already had a whopper), "May cause dizziness," and, my favorite, "If you start having suicidal thoughts, call your doctor immediately."  Hmmmm.  Decision made--those things are not going in my body.  Unsure if that was wisdom or fear talking, so...

I prayed from Tuesday through Friday for the wisdom/courage to try at least one of the meds, and Friday night I finally started the antibiotic for the sinus infection.  Crazy, crazy.

Wow.  That is really not where I meant to go with this post.  What I was going to say was this:  my insane allergies triggered the thought that perhaps I am not eating what I need to be eating.  Here's why...

(1)  When I was in college I had a garden and worked in it probably every day because I loved it!  I also rode my bike or walked to school every day.  So, I was outside every.day.  I also ate fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, and NO processed foods except when I would occasionally go out to eat or go "home" to momma's.  And I do not remember having allergies.

(2)  I got married.  I moved to the country.  My diet changed.  I started having insane allergy issues that have seemingly gotten worse each year.  You may think, like me, that the move triggered the allergies.  But let me throw a wrench in that theory...

(3)  Two summers ago (still in the country), I took Zija, a nutrition supplement.  It was a phenomenal because I had no allergies.  None.

Do you see the diet factor?  No processed foods, great nutrition, no allergies.  Processed foods, allergies.  Processed foods plus a great nutrition supplement, no allergies.  See where I'm going?

While all this was swimming in my head, I read an article about a guy who was diagnosed with stage 3 prostate cancer.  Even after surgery to remove a huge mass, docs gave him 6 months to live.  He decided to forego the chemicals, in which the doctors had little hope for prolonging his life.  He instead chose to change his diet, eating only organic raw fruits and veggies and whole grains. He has been alive for nine years.

All the while, I was reading Jami Nato's blog posts about her reduction in sugar and how she felt so much better.  And I thought, "I need to do this!"

I made a plan, which included some healthy recipes, made my grocery list and...Monday I went to the grocery and stocked up on all organic fruits and veggies, and other random "healthier" ingredients I needed to make my recipes, like grapeseed oil, rice vinegar, and local honey.

So far we have had granola or home-made bread (toasted) for breakfast...
fruit, raw veggies, and cheese for lunch...
     (disclaimer:  we did eat some whole grain crackers and use some Ranch.  so sue me.)
and some type of whole grain/cooked veggie combo for dinner...
     (like the quinoa recipe i shared recently).

On the menu for this weekend:

Veggie Omelets (the chopped veggies are bagged and frozen, ready to be dumped in an egg)...
Fruit smoothies (with some veggies hidden inside)...
Black beans and rice...
And with the left-over beans...
Black bean brownies and...
Black bean sweet potato quesadillas (roasted sweet potatos are already frozen and ready to go) with homemade tortillas (thanks to Jami Nato for these last three recipes)

And, let me be brutally honest.  I am nearly always starving.  I heard my neighbor mention Funyuns yesterday and I had to fight the urge to go buy a bag!  But we did have a fully processed meal last night with my man's work crew (steak, baked potatoes with fake butter, salad with a mayo-based dressing, rolls, and cheesecake).  You would think that would satisfy my "processed" cravings, but nooooo.  I was banging the cupboards today looking for a morsel of processed SOMETHING.  And, to be sure, there is still plenty of processed foods in our house that we will slowly eat and deplete, but not replenish.  It's just that none of it sounds good to me.  I want Funyuns!  And I will have Funyuns again someday, but right now I need to purge my body or I'll never get over these cravings.

And here is my motivation to keep going...I've lost weight!    Even if my allergies don't improve, that's enough to keep hanging with it.  So here's to hunger pains (that I know are just my body's screams for things it wants but doesn't need, and they will go away), health, and hopes for a slimmer, allergy-free me.