Musings

Hmm so not really sure what to be talking about but I feel like I should be talking about something.... There's just so much going through my head right now that I can't even process. So I'm just going to ramble!
First off, VERY excited for my cousin Cathy, who just had her first appointment with a nutritionist and feels much closer to her goal of solving leaky gut! Which is awesome! A crazy way to get there it sounds like, but I'm very happy for her. It's crazy how different Eastern and Western medication are. Considering my history with Western medication, I am becoming more and more inclined to give Eastern a try, but it sounds like that could be an interesting experience! But I'm excited to try! So over being a pill popper.
However, about that, I made a big oops and apparently scheduled my naturopath appointment for Feb 11 (which is Monday) rather than March 11 like I meant to. So I won't be able to make it on Monday but now March 11 is full... So I had to move it to March 29, which is another random day we have off of school (and thus work) so I don't have to take time off for my appointment. But that does mean a few weeks more until my appointment. But that's ok, I'll just work on my own for now! Though after what Cathy said sometimes I wonder if I even want a food allergy test anymore! If she wishes she hadn't gotten it, it seems like a waste of money now after talking to her new person. But I do still want to keep my appointment and see what they say. Also I'm trying to fix a different problem than leaky gut since I'm trying to fix HS. So the food might be very prevalent there! So I think I will just ask the doctors what they think. That sounds like a plan.
Anyways, speaking of food things, another couple things that Cathy's new doctor told her are that sugar is toxic and soy is bad. Now I already knew that soy was bad, almost all of the soy in our world is GMO. Which is generally considered to be bad for you. Who knows what is going on with things that aren't natural. But at the same time, so many people blame the prevalence of gluten allergies on GMO things, but did you know that there actually is no GMO wheat on the market? There's wheat that has been adapted by selection, but only selection of genes that are already there. No crazy new never heard of genes. Which I find interesting. But also think we should try to stay away from GMO foods. I googled this real fast, and the top GMO foods in this country are: Corn, Soy, Sugar, Aspartame (fake sweetener), Papayays (?), Canola, Cotton, Dairy, and Zucchini (Source here). Now I don't really know how sound this source is, it was just the first thing that popped up on google. BUT I do know that corn and soy are very GMO heavy, so I'm just gonna go ahead and trust this list. Which is sad because I love zucchini... Hmm gonna have to start buying organic! The funny thing is, generally organic is considered ok and not GMO, but when it comes to soy there has been so much genetic modification that even the organic is GMO usually. So pretty much all soy is bad juju.
So I think I'm going to try a self diet, where I don't eat things that I shouldn't. Hmm, brilliant move there. Lol. But I'm talking choosing between all these things as far as what to eat and what not to eat. So, I'm definitely saying no GMO. Also I know I already can't eat gluten. And I have found out from others that most people who are gluten intolerant are also intolerant of dairy and/or corn. Which both also happen to be on the GMO list. Now I did not know that sugar was on the GMO list, but I have also learned that sugar is not in any way good for you, even natural sugars like honey and maple syrup. It just messes with your internal systems. Especially when you eat too much of it. If you have never read Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton I highly recommend it.
SO, all this to say that come Monday (I have to wait until Monday because that's when I get paid and will be grocery shopping... before that I will be eating whatever is left in my cupboards) this will be my new self-inflicted diet: no gluten, no corn, no soy, no sugar, no dairy. And let me tell you, it is going to be HARD. Even just the no corn is hard with still getting sweets from other ways, the no sugar thing is gonna kill me. And I know everyone says oh the cravings will go away in a few weeks, which I do appreciate and am happy to know, but it is such a hard 2 weeks to get through! GAH. I haven't actually made it yet even on the corn thing. I think the most days of not eating corn I've made in a row is like 5? And sometimes it's just an oops I forgot to read a label thing, but sometimes it's just me giving into cravings. So I really need to work on this! Thankfully I have a pretty creative head when it comes to foods, and so does my cousin and my brother so I will be able to come up with some awesome recipes for my journey I'm sure, which I will of course share with you. But I'm definitely gonna miss some things. Like cheese. And cornbread. And all sugar products.
Also, I think I've mentioned this but I am pretty lactose intolerant so I really shouldn't be eating dairy already, I just am bad at sticking to that one. Which is another thing I have been really thinking about this week.
I am terrible and making new habits. I will just say it. I'm a pretty lazy person and I like my routines. It is so hard for me to change. I hate getting up before I have to, even if getting up early means I can get a workout in that I know I won't do later because I'm tired. I will hit the snooze for an hour rather than get up and do my pilates. I will just sit and play games on my phone or scroll pinterest at the end of the evening instead of doing something good for me, like some yoga or even just reading a book. I think I have a screen time problem. Dang iphones. I love it, but man sometimes I just need to lock it in the corner or something. And when I realize things like this, it's very easy for me to get down on myself. Like why I can't just do something that I know is good for me? Does anyone else have this problem? I know I should get up and do my pilates and some jumping jacks, but I just hit the snooze. I know I need to not eat dairy or sugar but hey look at me eating ice cream. And I don't know why. I need help. If anyone has some ideas let me know because I am getting so frustrated with myself!
That's another thing I'm asking for. I want someone to hold me to this. Cathy, if you want to just text me once a week and be like hey how's the diet? And send me a couple words of encouragement. I just need to know that someone else cares that I'm getting healthy. Which I know people do, but sometimes no one says anything. Or anytime I talk to my mom about how I need to start working out more she just encourages it because of a weight loss thing I feel like. Which yes I do need to lose weight, my BMI is 26 which is technically overweight. But I feel like there is so much more to a "getting healthy" journey than just a number on a scale and I feel like that is all people reduce it to. And that's not enough motivation for me. Also it's hard to do something just so that I don't have a heart attach in 30 years. That's not much motivation either. I already know all this. I need something else. I just haven't figured out what it is yet.
So, I'm going to be sad for just one more minute here and then it's going to get exciting again. I know they say when you have allergies or if you are on a diet, not to focus on things you can't or don't eat anymore, because that just gets you down. You are supposed to think of all the things you can eat! But I feel the need to have a moment of silence for the things I will no longer be consuming....
Cheese. Chocolate. Ice Cream. Cornbread. Candy. Most alcoholic beverages. Chocolate milk. Goat Cheese. Jam. Any processed foods. Butter. Cookies. Birthday cake. Fudge. Anything with soy or corn oil, so probably no potato chips or French fries. Popcorn. Ranch dressing.
OK this is getting depressing, I'm done. Now, on to the exciting things I will be making, and attempting relatively soon!
Coconut rice
Any new kind of meat creation
Chili
Homemade marinara sauce and spaghetti (maybe even with meatballs)
Pumpkin waffles
pumpkin bread
anything with fruit in it! Fruit syrup for pancakes and waffles?
And this summer when it's bbq season again it's gonna get real crazy up in here. I got a few ideas, like homemade teriyaki sauce for grilled chicken or shrimp. Or there's this mango jalapeno shrimp that they make at red lobster which sounds awesome so I might have to attempt some homemade version of that. (I love shrimp but I really only like it bbq'd because it's less watery that way if you are wondering why I have to wait for summer for these)
Lots of soups
Pastas with new sauces that don't have dairy or gluten, like my brother made gluten and dairy free alfredo sauce, might have to play with that some. Though I don't know what I would use as a butter substitute since the only non-dairy butter I know of is soy based... Or maybe like an avocado sauce so it is still creamy, or some good oil/vinegar sauces
homemade salad dressings?
Homemade granola bars?
So many great ideas! Things I can still eat! YAY.
So one exciting things is that stevia is still allowed in this diet. Pretty much the only sweetener allowed but at least it's there. So maybe I can still have birthday cake :) or like in that pumpkin bread I want to make it probably calls for sugar, so I'll just try it with stevia. Or Cathy keeps telling me I really need to make these chocolate chip scones. But, no chocolate, so maybe I will just  make them into blueberry scones with stevia. Or maybe cranberry, since I probably don't want the extra liquid of blueberries, so if I did cranberry I could use craisins. Or maybe dried blueberries! So many ideas.
I will keep you all updated on how all of this goes. I can plan all I want, but the hard part is really putting it all into action. Because sometimes I just really want chocolate. Like every month when I am PMSing.
Anyways I'm gonna go order some almond flour online. Y'all have a good night!