GAPS is Working!

Well, hello!

We've had a busy summer with a cross-country move, visiting with family, getting ready for our homeschool year and celebrating the girls birthdays. I hope your summer was full, fun and your moments were well spent. I am so welcoming this shift into the Autumn mood though, with the mental refocusing and the cooling of the weather!

We celebrated our one year anniversary on GAPS in June with a stool analysis to see how things are going. I really felt that if we didn't see some significant changes in inflammation levels, especially for  L that our family was going to transition off GAPS. Let me just preface this update on our resuls by saying, we are still on GAPS!

Inflammation Results
Both girls showed great decreases in inflammation levels, L's most significant. In her two previous tests we always got an interpretation paper discussing IBD. And this one, nothing, her levels are normal! I still feel they are too high so we are staying on GAPS and we are going to keep working on it. N's inflammation levels also came down and we are just going to keep going to give her body continued time to repair. My inflammation levels were the lowest - I told the girls this is because I eat more soup, including the soup juices! And I also got the name of one of my parasites. He is pretty benign and about one billion other people have him, so I am not concerned. He does like to eat starch, as the kind of stuff we are NOT eating, so I'm guessing he might be getting hungry and leaving soon for better pickings. Probably a good incentive not to go getting all starchy for me.

Flora
Interestingly enough, neither N or I have a lactobacillus colony. In our last test, we had a great measurement of them. From this I have learned that inflammation is easier to address, and changing
your inner flora is much more complicated. This is likely why, Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of the GAPS book, says GAPS people can come off the diet, but should always maintain a probiotic
regimine, either through foods or supplements.

None of us showed an over growth of any bad bacteria or yeast. N's yeast was high on the last test and I didn't do anything special for it, except limit fruit and honey (though we didstill use them) which makes me feel as though given time and the right process we will bring balance to the flora in our systems.

So, I am happy with the measurable results we have had with GAPS, but I know that we still have more balance to bring. So we will stick with it!

I have been suggesting to the girls that we should go through "deep healing" again, also called GAPS Intro. They are not so keen on the idea, nor am I, but I think it will be good for us and hopefully get us to a deeper level of healing. I am thinking October, after my birthday and with nicely cooler days, which will be perfect for soup three times a day.

A Very Simple Soup - Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower soup sounds pretty mundane...and maybe even a little odd, but I promise you, if done correctly, it is a smooth, creamy, and delicious soup that you can dress up or dress down.

The recipe is really simple obviously...
because I made it up:

- 2 heads of cauliflower, chopped
- 2 large white onions, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 cups of chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- salt, to taste

Heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot and saute the onions for 10-12 minutes on medium low heat until they start to turn translucent (I don't like to let them brown otherwise your soup will be brown!). Add the chopped cauliflower and stock and steam/simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the 2 cloves of garlic and salt. Using an immersion blender/blender/food processor, process until smooth. Adjust salt to taste.

Enjoy plain as it is or add your favorite toppings (very helpful when trying to create a new meal out of the same soup).

I like:

- sliced avocado and sauerkraut
- pesto and cherry tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese (made from raw milk) and red pepper flakes drizzled with toasted walnut oil
- olive tapanade and pine nuts
- thinly sliced beets and a swirl of kefir
- sun dried tomatoes, parsley and Parmasan

We Interrupt this GAPS blog, to bring you...

A juice feast? Yes, I am treating myself to a juice feast this week. Meaning, I am consuming vegetable and fruit juices (blended with pastured egg yolk), coconut water and water instead of food. I thought I would post about it just to share my experience.

So it all started when.....
A friend told me about her plans to do a 15 day juice fast as she wanted to allow her body to do some deep cleaning. She is vegan, so I would say already pretty deeply cleansed, but nonetheless this was her plan. She ended up stopping the fast after three days because she lost four pounds and felt awful. However she did share the program she was following: Reboot With Joe.

I checked it out and filed it away.

In the meantime, I had been noticing a soreness or irritation after eating these past couple of weeks. It didn't seem to matter what I was eating, there would be this feeling of inflammation on the right side of my abdomen. I spoke about this with our Osteopath last week and she said the location was that of my appendix and gave me a little education in the purpose of the appendix. Yes, it has a purpose! The functions are still being understood, but one of the functions of the appendix may be to serve as a reservoir for beneficial bacteria. Another function may be to secrete an oil to lubricate part of our intestines where food must travel uphill. It may also be involved in assisting with immune system responses. She suggested that perhaps my appendix might be clogged and I may want to consider stopping probiotics for a while. I researched and found recommendations for a three day water fast followed by a light diet of alkalizing broths to help "cleanse"the appendix. Water fast.....no, not for me!

Then I remembered the Reboot With Joe site and thought why not give my body a break from digesting, keep things pretty light and flood my body with nutrients and see if it makes any difference with the irritation I am feeling? So using the Reboot program as a starting point, I began on Tuesday. I did not do a lot of prep, just ate normally the day before, though I did have a salad for diner. I am also not keen on the quantities of sweet juices on the Reboot, so I am not making my juices as sweet (using less fruit), and I do whisk in 1-2 egg yolks to each juice. These fats aid in the assimilation of the nutrients, are easily digested and help balance the sugar content of the juice. I'm using Granny Smith apple, lemon, grapefruit, carrot, beet, cucumber, kale, romaine, dandelion, parsley, ginger, and daikon radish in my juices. I use the Vitamix and strain the juice with a nut milk bag. I am not taking any of our supplements, including probiotics. I should note, this is not my DOs advice, just my own.

So far, end of day two, I feel good. Normal even. I haven't been starving, find myself full on slowly drinking the juice, water or coconut water, and am enjoying the break from eating. I miss it slightly. I am not feeling any form of die off, tiredness or other issues. I think the GAPS diet is so nourishing that taking a break from solid food, won't cause issues like my friend experienced. One thing I have noticed is a lot more plaque on my teeth, but I suppose lack of chewing allows plaque to stay on your teeth better!

My plan is to continue the feast through the day tomorrow, then see if I want to continue. I will then transition to broth based soups with cooked vegetables and egg yolks and resume normal full GAPS eating over a couple of days. I will come back and let you know if it helps with the cranky appendix.

Goat Milk Intro

So we are stepping slowly along on our goat milk introduction. After we had a cow butter fail, we decided to try goat butter. I buy the Myenberg brand, which contains salt and natural flavor, but is the only goat butter I can find. L is to goat butter as N was to cow butter, meaning she quite likes it! She will ask for a chunk of it, cut to look like a cube of cheese.

Two weeks ago I bought a bottle of raw goat milk, which is legal in our state, and made it into 24 hour fermented yogurt. We tried the sensitivity test of putting some on the inside of our elbows before bed and watching for a rash and I gave it a full night and day. No rash, so then we tried a teaspoon of the whey with a little of the solids.

I don't always trust the sensitivity test, but I do think if I introduce the yogurt slowly and a little at a time, I will see a reaction if there is going to be one and it won't be extreme. The common reactions we see are rash/eczema, dark circles under the eyes, coughing/runny nose, either constipation or loose stools and behavior issues. Behavior issues usually involve intense screaming or crying. Oh, and let's not forget peeing on the floor.

So far, so good with our introduction. I increased our amount of yogurt every couple of days and we all seem to handle it just fine! My batch of yogurt was very runny, more like kefir or thick milk, so the next time I make it I will use gelatin to help it firm up in the fridge.

DIY Whipped Cocnut Oil Body Butter

I'm really thrilled because I saw this post on Radiant Life's blog with a recipe for a whipped body butter using simple ingredients and magnesium oil. I've been trying to find a satisfactory way to help my children use transdermal magnesium and this looked promising. After re-reading some of the information I researched for my post on magnesium, I was reminded how important magnesium is and determined to get some onto my kids. So tonight we made it!

I used coconut oil, Shea butter, magnesium oil and 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Magnesium is known to be calming and I figured lavender would be nice and relaxing too! We followed the directions and had lots of fun whipping up the body butter after the mix chilled in the fridge. It looked like creamy, white frosting, but let me assure you, it does not taste good. The girls eagerly applied it, then applied more after our detox bath. Sadly, L found it to be stingy when she was damp from the bath. There were tears and vigorous washing. However, she did allow me to give her a back massage with it after she was dry and she didn't have any complaints.

The texture is nice when you apply it, but, like using straight magnesium oil you do feel a certain stickiness on your skin after the oils absorb. Just like the feeling of coming out of the salty sea! I'm ok with that though and I think my children will be too!

I do have to say that the fun of whipping up a body product might lead to more projects in the future..... We do have a sunblock making party planned with some friends in a few weeks! Update to follow.

Do you need magnesium supplementation? (Hint: Yes!)

Have you heard about magnesium oil? Magnesium oil is a transdermal way to add magnesium to your body. Taking magnesium orally is certainly an option, but in general and especially for those with impaired gut function it can be hard to absorb. Oral magnesium can also cause your system to relax too much, resulting in a laxative effect.

Magnesium is needed for virtually all processes in the body. As our soils and water supplies have become depleted, our food supply has also dismissed in its supply of magnesium. Some of the foods highest in magnesium are hard to eat in quantity, such as kelp. Certain grains, nuts and seeds are also sources of magnesium, but need to be properly soaked and sprouted to reduce their anti-nutrient blocking properties.

Lack of magnesium, or magnesium defiecency, can (just for example) show up in your body as muscle cramps, migraine, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, PMS, and it is critical for aiding the body in sugar metabolism, detoxification, heart, liver, and lung health, as well as preventing bone loss. If you have blood sugar issues, are pregnant, have asthma, high cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, or suffer from PMS, migrains or insomnia, then magnesium oil should be your friend!

Taking Epsom Salt or magnesium flake baths and using magnesium oil are two main ways to increase magnesium in your body. In general we need 3-4 mg of magnesium per pound of body weight, but each person going to be different. I aim for about 800 mg per day of my transdermal spray. Two main changes that I noticed upon regular use of magnesium oil are that I don't suffer from daily headaches and I no longer need deodorant.    

You can purchase magnesium oil or you can quickly and inexpensively make your own. Ancient 
Minerals sells a 1.65 pound bag of magnesium flakes for $9.75. They also sell magnesium oils and lotions of you don't nt to make your own.

To make your own oil:
Take one cup good quality water and dissolve one cup magnesium flakes in it over low heat. Fill a glass atomizer with your magnesium oil (no, it is not an oil) and store extra in a glass jar. I read that eight sprays should give you 100mg of magnesium.

To use:
Using magnesium oil can cause stinging and a light rash, but over time this should diminish. You can use it anywhere, but spraying on your torso has better effect. Leave on for 30 minutes and then wipe off. Children and people with very sensitive skin may prefer to have it applied with olive or coconut
oil or on the bottom of clean feet. Generally it is recommended to use magnesium with a greater frequency during the first three to four months when you first start supplementing it to help correct a deficiency, then you can taper off and find the level your body needs.

I have not been successful in supplementing this for my children. They, quite rightly, do not like the stinging. In fact, they call it the stinging stuff. I just saw a post on Radiant Life's blog for DIY whipped coconut body butter, which offers 250 mg per teaspoon and looks delicious! I'm going to make it and let the girls use as much as they want!

Would you like more information on magnesium or magnesium oil? I recommend these sites:

Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle
Ancient Minerals
Radiant Life, this blog has a series of interesting articles on magnesium. They carry Ancient Minerals  products too.
Cheeseslave, her blog has a series on magnesium

One Year on the GAPS Diet

Wow. Exactly 1 year ago today I was starting the GAPS diet.  I was a little bit overwhelmed with all the equipment needed, the various stages, and what I could and could not eat.  Like all diets it got much, much easier with practice and today I hardly even think about what I am going to eat because it has become very second nature. I would say my diet is mostly vegetable focused followed by meat/eggs, fat, fruit, and dairy.  It will be really interesting to see my cholesterol numbers when I get my physical in June.  If you remember, last June my total cholesterol numbers were 270, and the doctors suggested that I might need to go on medication. Um… right, no thanks. 

So can I say that I have seen significant changes in my ability to eat ‘trouble foods’ (apples, peaches, pears, carrots, etc.)… No, not really.  Regardless of this, I don’t see the need to go off the diet at this point.  It is frustrating though because I want to see changes, but I also have to remind myself that it took my digestive system many, many years to start to have problems is so it will take a long time – probably years – to repair. So I just need to be patient.  Plus, if I were to go off the GAPS diet the only change would be that I would eat gluten free grains again, like rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, etc. Maybe I would occasionally have some sweet potatoes or some processed GF bread every once and a while.  Maybe I would eat peanut butter chocolate chip LaraBars again. Maybe not.  I’ve had some lucid dreams where I have gone into the corner store and bought a jar of nutella, wheat thins and blueberry scones. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to eat the blueberry scones (my favorite), but I did have some large spoonfuls of nutella and oddly enough, it wasn’t that good.  I’ve also enjoyed a large bowl of pasta in my lucid dream before forgetting it is a dream and freaking out that I’ve just eaten gluten! I’m not asking to eat the standard American diet again, but I am asking to be able to tolerate an apple and maybe some sprouted bread? Is that asking too much? Again, patience. 

Over the past few months I have been thinking about what else I can do to try and move forward with the healing. For example, I explored the idea of a coconut oil cleanse (basically a fast where you just eat coconut oil and drink water for a few days).  My attempt at this lasted 24 hours… yeah, I know, pretty pitiful, but surprisingly, it’s mentally hard not to eat – for me at least.  I also tried a parasite cleanse through Hulda Clark (herb based) at the end of March. On day 12,  about 15 minutes after taking my dose of green black walnut tincture, I developed pain/soreness just to the right of my belly button that lasted for 6 days and then moved into my right upper back, with pain fairly constant for 2-3 weeks.  Coincidental…I didn’t think so and that was the last of the herbs for me. I was so freaked out I even went to the doctor thinking I screwed up my organs! I had white blood cells in my pee, but no fever or other pain. I even got an ultrasound to look for kidney stones.  There were none (of course). So yes, another unresolved and bizarre issue that I am not really sure what to do about.  I've been eating lots of food that is suppose to be good for your kidneys (asparagus, cranberry juice, drinking detox tea, etc.)  I’ve also been reading a book called Energy Medicine by Donna Eden.  The idea is that you can help your body heal itself by working with its electromagnetic and energy fields.  I know....you are thinking I’ve lost it, but hey, I’m willing to try anything, especially if it doesn’t involve self medicating myself again….granted, if I am being honest, I’m sure I will do that again at some point too. I’ve also been doing a QiGong video, which is kind of a cross between really gentle yoga and meditation and since I started doing those two things, my pain has gotten a lot better. Coincidental? Maybe. Also, oddly enough, the two times I have gotten acupuncture since the mystery pain started, the acupuncture has made the pain return. Not sure what that means.

The other thing I’ve been debating is working with a Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist, which maybe since my other two ideas were bust this one would work - you know, third time is the charm type thing?  Essentially, this would require that I do some additional tests on the recommendation of the practitioner. For me this would be a test to look at my hormone levels (which I know are out of wack), as well as a food sensitivity test called a MRT Food Sensitivity test that would identify foods that cause inflammation in my body, even if they don’t cause a reaction I can feel.  The other test that was recommended was an intestinal barrier screening test that would show evidence of leaky gut among other things.  Once the testing is done, the practitioner would design a customized supplement/diet plan that would try to help fix the problems.  I had a preliminary phone call with a practitioner in Brooklyn, but haven’t agreed to move forward with it yet mainly because it’s expensive and with the $820 I spent looking into the petechiae earlier this year and the money for the ultrasound…I am just feeling broke.  This testing and the supplements is going to run roughly 2k so… yeah I am a little hesitant to move forward without thinking about it thoroughly. A quick Google of ‘supplements to help heal your gut” reveals this article. See, tempted to treat myself again…

So that is kind of where I’ve been lately.  It has been a good year though and I feel like I am on a good path diet-wise.  Here goes the start of Year 2.

Other Healing Diets

At our house we call the GAPS diet, the Healing Diet for several reasons, mainly based on optimism and law of attraction. But there are other diets out there and over the past few months I have been reading about some of them. Why? They all offer pieces of the puzzle and perspectives on health. We are going to be doing some testing/retesting to see how we are doing on GAPS after almost a year. We are feeling good as far as energy and digestion, but the girls have been having monthly illnesses (mainly respiratory) since January. Might be that we are gong to need to add in some extras, make some changes to how we do GAPS, or leave some ideas behind. 

Here's a run down:

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

I read the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle to learn more about the SCD, which is what a lot of the GAPS is based on. The author kept her daughter on the SCD for seven years (she wasn't sure how to transition her off the diet after the death of the doctor who developed SCD) and cured her of ulcerative colitis. She then spent the rest of her life promoting the SCD and helped thousands of people around the world. This was a great read and fascinating history on how celiacs disease used to be treated. The SCD doesn't rely on broth, fat and ferments, like GAPS does, which gives me relief on those days when my children don't eat the soup!

The Body Ecology Diet

Book by the same name. Very interesting read and focused on gaining control and healing from yeast overgrowth. Very supportive of certain ferments, much less focus on fats and animal foods then GAPS. Does allow certain seed-like grains, like quinoa. She uses lots of influence from other diets, which she has studied over the years.  I heard Donna Gates speak on the recent web conference and learned that she has a program called BEDROC, the ROC stands for recovering our kids and focusses on children with autism spectrum, allergies, asthma, etc, so I am going to check that out for 

comparison. I will say that some of the book really felt like an ad for the products the Body Ecology 

company offers, from culture starters to stevia.

Nutritional Balancing

I heard about this via the GAPS yahoo group and it sounds fascinating. In short you do an hair analysis, which shows you where your nutritional imbalances are, as well as how aspects of your body are functioning, such as how you handle glucose, and what heavy metals or other toxins you are excreting. You then follow a protocol to balance and detox the body, which includes a specific diet, most notably no sweeteners, no fruit, no raw vegetables, certain grains are avoided, but some are 

allowed, and do other things such as major supplementation, coffee enemas and a type of sauna. 

You retest the hair every 4-6 months to see how you are balancing and detoxing. The theory as I understand it so far, is that once all your nutritional needs are balanced and you have cleaned up your system from toxins and heavy metals things then your health will also be balanced. This is not a do it yourself program.

The Anti-Diet or RRARF

Rehabilative rest and aggressive re-feeding is what RRARF stands for and the program is a work in progress that advises lots of rest and eating to increase cell metabolic function. This means no exercise, naps, early bedtimes, and eating a lot to replace nutrients lost while on a restricted diet (anything from GAPS to vegan). It seems to be focused on doing so for about one month. The idea is that if you increase cell metabolic rate you will recover your health or perhaps at least improve it. Taking your basal body temperature regularly is how you measure your success at increase cell metabolic rate. I came across this program from some posts of people who transitined off GAPS and onto RRARF. Matt Stone is the creator of this program and I will warn you that you may find some of the writing and humor offensive.

I have not given you all the information on these programs and if any sound interesting I encourage you to read and learn more by getting the books and visiting the websites which google will help you find. 

New Favorite Green Juice

When I first started using the Vitamix to blend vegetables I  only made smoothies rather than juice.  The difference being that to juice with the Vitamix requires that you dump the whole thing through a nut milk bag and strain out the pulp from the liquid.  I preferred the smoothies mostly because I am lazy, I didn't like to throw out the pulp (throwing $ in the compost - no thanks) and because I liked to add banana and, well, you can't really juice bananas.  My typical smoothie was really good though... a combination of cucumber, kale, dandelion greens, parsley, lemon, ginger and banana. Sometimes I'd mix it up and use frozen mango or frozen pineapple instead of the banana and that was good too.

Then during one of my acupuncturist sessions my acupuncturist suggested that I cut out bananas. The horror. My beloved bananas, my favorite and most versatile source of sugar that caused NO digestive distress.  If I wanted to sweeten pancakes, I'd use a banana. If I wanted ice cream, I'd freeze bananas and blend them. If I wanted to make a pumpkin pie smoothie, chocolate avocado pudding, zucchini bread, chocolate cake.... you get the point...I'd use a banana.  I believe her suggestion was made after I went on a crazy rant (the poor woman is also a shrink... well, my shrink anyways. Maybe $98 a session is really a bargain?) about how frustrated I was that I wasn't feeling well/having crazy sugar/food cravings, skin problems, etc. and how I probably had some kind of yeast overgrowth issue, because, well, all the signs pointed to that and if not than I was undoubtedly feeding something with all those bananas I was eating even if I was having no response. Do you sense the crazy?

Well, she said, why don't you stop eating bananas for two weeks and see how you feel. Hmmm. Genius. So that's what I did. I stopped eating bananas and it was hard.

But, hell, certainly if I could do the GAPS diet, I could cut out bananas. And I did feel better.

Also around this time I started reading about the "PH Miracle" Diet - basically the idea that keeping your body alkaline by eating lots of raw green vegetables/juices, taking supplements will prevent disease, boost health, and help you heal (a panacea, perhaps?) So I was inspired to try an all green juice from the organic juice bar at the health food store. I tried it and it was actually delicious!  Oddly enough it gives you a jolt similar to caffeine. So that has become my new green juice of choice.  The Vitamix version is a bit more watered down than the juice I buy at the store, but its still tasty and occasionally I splurge and pick up a green juice on my way to work.

The recipe is simple - 1/3 of the juice is cucumber, 1/3 is celery, and 1/3 is leafy greens.

And you can serve it in a big beer stein.

Natural Products

Although I have been doing the GAPS diet for almost a year it has taken me much longer to transition my makeup to more natural versions.  I guess one of my frustrations is 1. finding products that are actually chemical free (this is very tough with makeup) and 2. finding products that actually work (i.e. deodorant.)

I figured this post would be a good start to reviewing some of the products I have been using as well as mentioning why it is so important to be aware of what you put on your skin. As I experiment with more products I will provide updates.

Why is it really important to care about what goes on your skin in the same way you care about what goes in your body? Well, even though its strange to think about, your skin is your largest organ and it absorbs whatever you put on it right into your blood stream. So it is really important to be just as careful about what you put on your body as what you put in it. Read this article for more information about your personal care products and sodium lauryl sulfate. Interesting stuff.

Personal Care Products I am currently using:

Deodorant: 
I mentioned above that deodorant is a tough one. I have found that natural brands will work for a few weeks and then all of a sudden not work so well - not exactly an experience you want to have very often!  Putting aluminium on my freshly shaved armpits though is really not an option so natural is the way to go. 

Brands I have tried:
- Tom's Natural Deodorant (Lavender)
- Vichy Unscented Deodorant
- Soapwalla Natural Deodorant
- Burt's Bees Herbal Deodorant

With both Tom's and Vichy - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.  I keep Tom's in my gym bag, but don't rely on it daily. Soapwalla works pretty well, but the problem is for me that it tends to chafe my underarm even though I shave at night and apply in the morning.  It does work pretty well though.  Burt's Bees is the newest addition to the deodorant arsenal and I like it a lot. It has a herbal scent that is not feminine, but not unpleasant and it seems to work pretty well so far. The product does have alcohol so it can burn freshly shaven skin. 

Toothpaste:
Fluoride, artificial colors, ick.

Brands I have tried:
Tom's Natural toothpaste is what I use.  They have recently come out with a version that is also sodium lauryl sulfate free which is what I am using now.

Here are some all-natural recipes that I'd like to try - much cheaper than the $5 a tube I pay for Tom's.

Shampoo and Conditioner:
Again, the concern here is phalates and sulfates (among other things) - aka endocrine disruptors - not nice.

Brands I have tried:
- Yes To Carrots
- Burt's Bees

Both are good and work well - I prefer the smell of the Burt's Bees, but the Yes to Carrots seems to work better and I can go longer between washes.

Face Wash
Brands I have tried:
- Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser with Royal Jelly
- Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser with Cotton Extract
- Burt's Bees Acne Pore Refining Scrub

As you can see, I am a big fan of Burt's Bees products. I like all three of these for different reasons.  The royal jelly is great for deeper cleaning and removing makeup. The sensitive skin and acne I use like to switch off using in the morning depending on the state of my skin. Pleased with all three. I would also like to try washing my face with oil at some point.  Read about that here.

Nail polish
Nail polish is so smelly and full of chemicals, but I still like the look of painted nails, especially when going to client meetings or special occasions.

Brands I have tried:
OPI
Essie
Butter London
Suncoat

Nail polish formulated without the "toxic trio" of chemicals, formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and toluene, two reproductive toxins, are all things you want to avoid.  OPI, Essie, and Butter London claim to be 'three-free,' but they still smell horrible, so how good can that be?  With this in mind, I bought two bottles of Suncoat, a water based nail polish. And guess what, it doesn't smell.

Though it is not 100% natural, Suncoat is one of the most natural nail polishes available today - about 70% is water based. I will take that. It doesn't last too long on your nails, but I've had it on my toes for about 2 weeks and its still going strong.

Makeup and Skincare
Face lotion
Brands I have tried:
Argan Oil - Josie Maran
Argan Oil - Aura Cassia
Argan Oil - Mogador

Eye Liner:
Korres Natural Eye Pencils
Formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances, Petro-Chemicals and Phthalates, this eyeliner goes on smoothly and lasts all day - I recommend the black, grey, and the blue (though I am not a big blue eyeliner kind of girl).  The other colors don't seem to go on as smoothly.

Mascara:
Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara Black
There are cheaper brands of 'natural' mascara out there, but I have been pleased with this brand so haven't experimented with others.

Blush:
Josie Maran Argan Mini Color Stick Rosey
This brand is more natural, but still contains some artificial colors. Not ideal.

Body Lotion:
I have recently made my own!  Here is the recipe I used. I added lavender essential oils so it smells really nice - and I know what is in it!

Happy Green! (Two Ways)

Long time, no blog! Hope you are well and enjoying a bliss-filled spring! In celebration of the greening time here is a recipe that my children and I enjoy daily. Perhaps you will too.

I'm using washed and organic items and cut them up, so I can blend in the Vitamix.

1 granny smith apple (remove the seeds)
1 cucumber
1 lemon, most of the skin removed but some white and yellow still there
a few dandelion leaves or more if you can stand it
a good handful of parsley
add olive oil and water

Blend!

I put some of this mix through an Amazing Nut Milk bag and make juice for L.
The fat is good in the juice to slow the blood sugar and increase absorption of the yummy minerals and vitamins. Coconut milk added to the juice is also very nice. I hear the French add cream to their juice - oooh, la, la!

I take the rest of the mix still in the blender and add:
1 ripe avocado
2-5 tbsp coconut oil

Blend and it's a nice smoothie for me and me and N. L likes her avocado on the side with a sprinkle of salt.

Pasta Puttanesca

This is my new favorite 'pasta' recipe.  It is sooo good!  It combines some of my favorite flavors: olives, capers, and..... anchovies.  I never knew I liked anchovies until I had them on Balthazar's amazing Salad Nicoise. If you think you don't like anchovies - you are wrong,  you do like them. Just a few added to a dish, melted into some oil or butter, add a certain je ne sais quoi. Enough about the anchovies - here is the recipe.

 

I make my 'pasta' with thinly shredded cabbage. Zucchini that has been peeled into 'spaghetti' would also work, as would gluten free or regular pasta. The sauce freezes well if you want to make extra and have some for a quick dinner one night.

Pasta Puttenesca

Make the 'pasta' first:

Ingredients:

1 head of green cabbage 

1/2 c. chicken stock (approximately)

1 tablespoon butter/chicken fat/oil, if needed

sea salt to taste

 

Slice the cabbage finely so it resembles noodles. Saute in chicken stock and fat for about 15-20 minutes until al-dente.
While the cabbage is cooking, prepare the sauce:

Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or grass fed butter

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced

3-4 anchovy filets, drained

1 yellow onion, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

 7-8 cremini mushrooms, chopped

15- 20 pitted black olives, chopped

 3 tablespoons capers, with brine

1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

15 oz jar of crushed tomatoes (Eden Organic is great)

Black pepper to taste

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic and anchovies. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil/butter and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes. Add onions, mushrooms, peppers and sautee until tender. Add olives, capers, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes and then add the parsley, reserving some for garnish.

Serve it up and enjoy!

 

Healing Episode or Just a Fluke?

I mentioned in my 8 month update post (here) that I really wasn't feeling too great in January. It seemed like everything I ate, and I mean EVERYTHING seemed to cause bloating, pain, etc.  In addition to the digestive problems, my skin broke out like crazy - Like it has never done before on this diet. Luckily, I was in California visiting Kathryn and her family so they were the only ones who got to see the horror of my skin flare up.  I am being dramatic, I know, but it really was distressing.  The other strange thing that happened was that my chest broke out in the same rash I have been having since April 2009 when all of these food problems started.  There were so, so many days in between 2009-2012 that I would have to change what I was going to wear to work in order to cover up my skin with a high necked shirt. One of the great things about the GAPS diet was that the skin 'rash' totally disappeared once I started the following the protocol. This January was the first time it has been back in 8 months.

To top it all off, the last week in January I woke up covered in tiny pin-prick bruises from the chest down.  Known medically as petechiae, it is tiny hemorrhaging of blood vessels bleeding into your skin. I have had petechiae before - in fact, I usually have it almost constantly on my calves - or rather it showed up approximately 3-4 years ago or so (some sort of connection to this food issue? I've never thought about it, but maybe).  It tends to show up when I exercise and I've never thought much about it other than being hopeful that it would be one of the things the GAPS diet curred.  I asked a dermatologist about it in 2011 and he didn't know what they were and didn't seem to be concerned so I just figured it was one more oddity.

Well, like I said, I'd had them on my calves before, but I've never had hundreds of them all over my body.  Google, WebMD, the Mayo Clinic, even Wikipedia said that unexplained petechia is not a good thing.  Basically it could be a sign of a bunch of different auto-immune disorders, a bunch of crazy infectious diseases, and some other unmentionable things.  Needless to say, I was a little freaked out and decided to do what the websites told me to do - seek medical attention.

The doctors I saw were freaked out too.  Not outwardly of course, but anytime a doctor turns your blood work around in less than a day, you know they are freaked out. My blood work was all fine and dandy so they did a biopsy too and kept going over 'medications' I take (none, of course) to see if that could be a cause. I just got the biopsy results back earlier this week and it was fine too - the dermatologist said she didn't see signs of inflammation and that she wasn't concerned.  I mentioned that maybe the bruises could have been caused by drinking cranberry tea - which I was drinking on and off for about two weeks.  Cranberries contain salicylic acid - an active ingredient of aspirin. Aspirin can cause petechiae.  Tumeric root - something I was adding to my smoothies  in the morning is also a blood thinner.  So maybe the combination of them both caused an all-over response? I wouldn't think that I was taking a high enough dose of either to have a reaction and the doctor agreed, but that seems to be the only likely explanation.  The only other thought is that maybe its some sort of healing response?  Who knows. The doctor just said to pay attention and see if they come back.

Oddly enough, yesterday I saw some on my back, along my spine after taking Pilate's class. I get my stitches out tomorrow so I'll have to let the dermatologist know.  The good news is that despite exercising I haven't had any on my calves - so maybe its fixing itself? Or maybe I'm being naive.

Blizzard of 2013 - Banana Nut Bread

Have you noticed a trend in all of my baked goods?

That's right, they all contain banana. That's because bananas are the easiest source of sugar for me to digest so I use them any time I need to sweeten something.  Thankfully, I don't even notice anymore that every dessert I make tastes like bananas.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I feel as though I probably have candida overgrowth in some way and even though my tests didn't show this. In doing some more research on how to get candida back in line, I downloaded a candida diet food list from WholeApproach. Do you know what fruit is on the list to avoid? Bananas. And mango.  The two fruits I eat the most of. Hmmm... surprising? I think not.

Well until the day comes that I decide to give up bananas I am going to enjoy eating them! Feed the yeast I guess.

We had a big snowstorm on Friday and into Saturday. It was the perfect excuse to bake something. Typically, when I bake, I tend to throw a little of this and a little of that together and see if it works. Of course, sometimes it works great and other times I end up wasting ingredients.  This time, I decided to let someone else do the work.  The recipe I used can be found here at Small Foot Print Family.  I kept the recipe the same except for omiting the arrowroot flour/starch and the extra sweetener.  I also added vanilla extract and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger).  Though my pictures don't do it justice - these came out really well.  They were even approved my the grain and sugar eating husband - which is equal to success in my book.

This blog is one of my new favorites too - she has lots of great articles and ideas worth reading if you have the time.

 

Chocolate Banana Pancakes (Grain Free)

I hate to brag, but I may have mastered the art of grain free, sugar free pancakes. I know. That is saying a lot.  Oddly enough, chocolate (in the form of cocoa or cacao powder) is allowed on the GAPS diet although it is not allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) which is very similar to GAPS.  Cocoa/cacao is suppose to be for those individuals in 'advanced' GAPS.  Whether or not I fall into that category is debatable, however, I am not willing to live without chocolate in some form! 

See information below from Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on the GAPS diet FAQ page.

"Cocoa is SCD illegal. However, I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder. Mixing the powder with some honey and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it."

Enough said.

Chocolate Banana Pancakes (Grain Free)

1 medium banana (approximately 230 grams)
2 pastured eggs
1/4 c. raw organic cacao powder
1/8 c. almond flour
1/4 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1/16th teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender/food processor until smooth.  Heat a little coconut oil/butter/ghee in a saute pan over medium-low heat.  Cook batter until edges firm and bubbles appear. Makes approximately 4 fluffy pancakes.

Long Overdue Update - GAPS Diet at 8 months

I realize I have been delinquent in writing an update as to how everything is going on the GAPS diet.

I have been sitting in front of the computer for basically the last hour staring at that first sentence and trying to figure out where to go from there.  I think that was why I haven't posted an update in a while. Not that I don't have much to say, but that because I have been a little frustrated about the progress I feel I should have made so far on this diet and I really didn't want to get down or not believe in the diet's ability to work - because I think positive thought can go a long way in healing.  But it is time for an update.  I mean, it has been 8 months since I started the diet last May. Hard to believe it has been that long.

I was lucky enough to spend the last week visiting Kathryn in Coronado and so had time to think and talk about how everything is going with her and the girls and really think about how everything has been going for me and what I am going to do going forward.

Thinking back on the initial stages of the diet I realize that I definitely had die off - fatigue, headaches, achy muscles, etc.  I also felt like I had improvement in digesting foods I had trouble eating (carrots, apple, even small amounts of honey) - which would make sense if bad bugs died.  And don't get me wrong, I have been pleased with the fact that the rash/acne that appears on my chest and that I have been dealing with on and off for the past three years really has totally gone away on this diet (except for the week I was in CA, of course. It, along with my face, seemed to breakout like crazy!) - not sure why that happened.  Now though, with regards to the food, I feel like I am kind of back to where I was before - having reactions and not knowing what I am eating that is causing them.

Could this be due to some food poisoning I had in the middle of December (a salad I ate on a business trip - not fun) that lasted about 12 days?  Could it be that there is something else going on that is preventing me from seeing more dramatic results?

I know it took my gut a long time to get damaged and it would make sense that it would take a while to get back to normal so I am trying not to get discouraged. I have read that for adults it typically takes 18 months to heal, but could be up to three years. I am not considering stopping the diet, I am just wondering if I need to make tweaks and get more strict - i.e. soup at least one meal a day or drinking a cup of broth at least once per day, reducing overall fruit/nut consumption.

You may have read Kathryn's blog post about parasites - if not, read it here.  Basically, from all of the reading I have done on parasites, I figure there is a good chance I have them in some form or another. In my pre-GAPS days I described my favorite food as sushi. That statement alone probably means I have parasites.  So that is a consideration I need to make.

Another thing that has been sitting in the back of my head is the fact that back in January of 2011, my acupuncturist recommended I try a 4 week 'detox' and after I completed it I was 'cured' - I could eat apples, carrots, pears, plain sugar even!  I never tried eating gluten (too scared, but I bet I could have). Then in early April 2011 it all started coming back.  I even tried the same program again a few months later and it didn't seem to do anything.

Here is the detox that I followed:

4R GI Restoration Program

Follow steps 1, 2, & 3 for 30 days.  Then follow steps 2, 3 & 4 ongoing.

1. Remove: remove the bad bacteria, fungus or parasites in the GI system
- Eliminate gluten and dairy for 30 days
- use herbs such as Coptis Root or Goldenseal for 15 days (2,000 mg/day not taken with meals) Ginger, garlic, and sour plum (umeboshi kill parasites (take ongoing until symptoms go away)

2. Replace: boost digestive enzymes that may be inadequate
- Drink lemon juice and water, Swedish Bitters, ginger (in food or tea, or take a digestive enzyme supplement.

3. Reinoculate: reintroduce desirable GI microflora with probiotics
- Take a supplement of acidophilus/lactobacillus (refrigerated capsule or powdered form) and or eat fermented foods such as lacto-fermented raw sauerkraut, pickles (not the kind on the shelf in the grocery store), miso soup, etc.

4. Regenerate: rebuild and heal the GI mucosa/lining
- Take a cold water fish oil supplement (4,000-6,000 mg/day) or flax seed oil (for vegetarians).
- Take a supplement of Tumeric (2,000-4,000 mg/day) also can be used as a spice in food.
- Take L-Glutamine (5,000-10,000 mg/day - powdered form is best).

For me, my acupuncturist recommended I take Goldenseal for the first 15 days and then take Swedish Bitters for the second 15 days.  She also recommended that I substitute Dandelion Root instead of Garlic in step 1.

So if this detox worked to eliminate my food issues - for a period of time at least - then whatever is wrong with my gut is most likely bacterial or parasitic and the herbs just were not strong enough, or long enough, to kill them.

The other thought I've been thinking of late (typically at around 1 o'clock in the morning when I should be sleeping!) is that maybe I have yeast overgrowth, also known as candida.  I have entertained the idea of candida since 2009 when I did a very scientific at-home test where you spit your saliva into a glass in the early morning before you have eaten or rinsed your mouth and observe what happens.  I even made Alex do it so I would have something to compare mine with. Per the test, I had signs of yeast overgrowth. So why didn't I take that route immediately, attack this thing as if it was candida? I don't really know.  I think I got caught up in going to doctors, getting tests, etc. and kind of just forgot about it. Also, I had a test done in early 2012 that showed no signs of candida or of parasites so that kind of just removed it further from my mind. However, I just don't think that there is a way that I don't have an issue with parasites and/or candida.

So here is what I have figured are my options:

1. I can go back on the intro diet, but will it be enough to kill off everything? Probably not.
2. I can do an herbal parasite cleanse (more research needed on my end)
3. I can incorporate an anti-yeast.anti-candida diet into the GAPS diet and look into candida cleanses.
4. I can find an alternative doctor/naturapath who could help with a parasite/candida cleanse.
5. I can see a real doctor. And by real, I mean one with an MD after their name.  This would make some people happy, but would probably just be the equivalent of throwing money down the drain based on my past experiences.

So with that said, I am going to be better about posting and keeping things updated on here.  I have some new receipes that I will be posting soon too!

HCL, Goat Milk Kefir and Ilumination

We've just spent the past week with Emily! How lovely to have a week-long visit with my sister - sightseeing, playing and of course the conversations! Some of our experimentation this week involved HCL supplementation (for low stomach acid) and perhaps we will both post on that later.

Though I intended to make her some sort of offal treat (ha!), I didn't get the chance. Plenty of heart and liver in the freezer that just didn't make it into the pan. I am sure she was so disappointed! However, I did share some of my dried liver capsules with her, so there was that. Incidentally, L will take some of the powder if I mix it with honey. We call it dream powder because of its ability to give you dreams and help you remember them (all those B vitamins!). We are careful to take it before noon, as we don't want the B vitamin energy boost to last well into the night.

Emily, as you may know, uses goat milk kefir at home and since we got some for her we patch tested it on me and the girls last night. And....N and I don't have a rash, but L sure does. It wasn't really evident in the morning, but it has become more pronounced as the day has gone on.

I always, always enjoy the conversations I have with my sisters and the treat of in-person conversation for a whole week was just so wonderful. I know the ripple effect of our visit will last a long time, no doubt bringing us both further illumination!

Coconut Yogurt!

We have been feasting on coconut yogurt this past week. Yogurt is one of the reasons I bought a dehydrator and it has taken me this long to actually make it. It's easy, tasty and probiotic, and this yogurt has gelatin in it, so that's quite GAPS friendly.

I referenced two recipes to make our yogurt: this and this

I more closely follow the Gutsy recipe. However, I am not using the meat of a fresh coconut, nor flavoring with vanilla. I also used a raw, live, vegan coconut yogurt I found at our co-op as a starter. It had coconut milk, lemon juice, agave and Body Ecology starter in it. Agave is not GAPS legal, but read the list on So Delicious and you find lots of things that aren't GAPS legal, so I went with the one raw, live, vegan one.

Unlike both recipes, I aerobically ferment the yogurt in my Pickl-it Jars in the dehydrator set to 105F for 24 hours. THe longer ferment is supposed to give you the greatest ammount of probiotic benefit. I put a bit of extra honey in to feed the bacteria and I do heat the honey so it is not raw - I am not sure if raw honey would cause problems with the ferment since it would contain enzymes and anti-microbial properties.

N and L are really enjoying the feasting and it is lovely to have them enjoying a GAPS- friendly ferment. We have topped the yogurt with pomegranate seeds (they are ripe and in season here) and it is good!

Hope this encourages you to try making your own yogurt too!