Feeling Good and Staying Healthy

The good news is the I have not had any heartburn, acid reflux, gerd or hiatal hernia issues. I am often awestruck that I no longer even think about carrying vinegar, DGL or digestive enzymes "just in case" something happens.

Last fall, I decided to add fish and eggs back into my diet. The initial reason was so I could reduce the amount of soy that I was eating, without having to increase my thought process on protein sources or food prep time. I have enjoyed losing the "vegan" label, though I still cook mostly vegan recipes on a weekly basis. Losing the label has helped me to lighten up when I am out with friends and also not to pick apart food that is placed in front of me. Of course, the risk is that I might eat a food that does not agree with me. I know that dairy was a major cause of my digestive issues and I try to keep my consumption to a minimum. I have been using organic butter on my toast; if I can find goat butter that is my first choice.

Another change is adding craft beers back. There were a number of reasons why I had removed alcohol from my life. One factor was acid reflux; at the worst point drinking an alcoholic beverage was like setting my insides on fire. It was no longer enjoyable and had to be stopped. In the past couple years an occasional beer had been enjoyed after a long hike or reunion with an old friend(s) and I found that I could not only painlessly enjoy it; I also savored the flavors and appreciated the craftsmanship that goes into the making of a good brew; I also missed the social aspect of having a beer.

So eggs, fish, butter and beer are the new weekly commonplace foods and I have suffered no ill effects. I have also been making my own almond milk weekly and consuming lots of dark chocolate.

My one setback since September is that I have gained about 20 lbs; I'm not happy about that. We all have addictions and cravings and mine are barbeque chips and chocolate; the lack of consistent exercise is also a factor. I still get out and hike, bicycle and kayak, but it is not as consistent as it should be. I am making an effort to eat less chocolate and fewer chips too. Hopefully, I get back to a preferred weight before winter.

I went for a physical in January and passed with flying colors. I also saw a dermatologist and had some spots burned off my face.  Recently, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and now sleep with a c-pap machine each night or day, depending on my schedule. The c-pap machine has made a big difference in my energy level and how I feel. It's only month two of using it and I expect to see results in weight-loss and activity levels because of it.

To wrap things up; eating wild caught fish, free range organic eggs and relaxing my dietary requirements has helped me feel happier without compromising my health. I am a strong, vibrant, energy filled person that is enjoying life without the pain of acid reflux or the cost and complications of prescription medicine.

The American diet is the cause of many of the health issues in this country; many will never put the two together. In my case it was by chance and with no other alternatives that I investigated changing my diet. Education and awareness is the key to living a healthy and rewarding life.

No Longer Vegan

For months I have been contemplating changing my diet; it was not an easy decision to make. For the past 5 or 6 years I have been vegan; originally doing it for health reasons and then staying vegan because I think it's a very healthy lifestyle and it also supports how I feel about factory farming and the mistreatment of animals.

There are several reasons for this decision.

First, I have way too much soy in my diet. From all the reading I have done I have come to the conclusion that soy is not good for you. There are lots of articles on this subject and this is just a sample Dangers of Soy. I have made an effort to avoid soy, but it is an easy protein source and often the only alternative choice on the menu when you dine out. There is a good chance it was adding to my digestion issues.

Second, since educating myself about health and nutrition I have learned a lot about the food industry and what I thought was healthy food. I make an effort to eat local organic foods and learned the difference between factory farmed beef, fish, pork and chickens and free range grass fed animals. When I ride my bicycle around the county I can tell the difference between cows that are kept in a barn or locked in a stall with their tails cut off versus cows that are out in the pasture eating grass and playing. Animals that are actually curious when you ride by. I'm not adding dairy or beef back into my diet, but if I were to it would be grass fed, organic, antibiotic-free beef and dairy or free range chicken.

Third, I recently read a book that took me by surprise. I was at a local bookstore when I looked down and this title caught my attention, "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Keith. She was a 20 year vegan and blamed veganism for health issues and seemed very angry. Of course, I questioned what her diet had been like? You can be a vegan and still eat unhealthy; I mean french fries and Fritos are vegan. How much soy did she eat?

I could relate to her message about sustainability. She pointed out that factory agriculture does just as much damage to the planet as factory animal farms. She gave many examples of top soil being stripped away and once fertile land is now desert. Also, if the animal population is not controlled we would be overrun. She promoted sustainable farming.

So, for basically those reasons I decided to add eggs and fish back to my diet. I still plan to avoid wheat, corn, soy, dairy and most meat. I'll continue to eat mostly organic and vegan recipes, but I will not be able to proclaim myself as a vegan. I'm not a pescatarian or vegetarian; not really sure what I am? Other than a health conscious eater.

So here is an update on my acid reflux.

Since March I have continued to have what I would consider minor bouts of acid reflux. If you will recall, in March I had a Hiatal Hernia issue that caused an acid reflux attack. It had been the first in a number of years.
Anyways, I had an appointment with my naturopath last week and we discussed this. I knew that I had been eating a lot of trigger foods; tomatoes (in season), chocolate and caffeinated teas. She thought a digestive enzyme might help, along with taking DGL again. I started taking the digestive enzyme prior to meals and the DGL between meals, plus gave up the trigger foods and here I am one week later and feeling like my old self. Again, it's all about exercise, eating right and listening to our bodies. Thanks for reading, please leave a comment. 

The Role of Proper Nutrition when Dealing with Cancer

Jillian sent this post. It goes along well with my beliefs about proper nutrition; if we eat properly we can overcome many obstacles. If you are interested in reading more from Jillian head on over to Center Yourself.

In order to maintain strength and increase your chances of a successful recovery from cancer, it's helpful to integrate proper nutrition into your diet. While eating right isn't a cure within itself, it's extremely advantageous and can improve your overall quality of life. With that being said, let's discuss the role of proper nutrition when dealing with cancer and some of its primary benefits.

Increased strength and higher energy levels are two positive effects that many people experience with healthy nutritional habits. By consuming foods such as raw vegetables and others that are packed full of antioxidants, your body will be better equipped to deal with the stress that cancer places on your body. This is especially helpful if you're implementing chemotherapy or other forms of radiation. It can also help equip your body to maintain its strength. In fact, patients who are well nourished tend to respond better to therapy and often have an improved prognosis. As a result, you should experience more energy and it should make dealing with cancer more tolerable.

It's also important because your immune system can greatly benefit from a healthy diet. During the stages of cancer and treatment, your body is placed under large amounts of stress that can wreak havoc on your immune system. When this happens, it tends to make you more prone to negative side effects. However, eating a balanced diet and avoiding unhealthy foods can give your body the boost that it needs to combat cancer.

Along with this, you are likely to have a considerably quicker recovery time after treatment is over. By nourishing your body with essential nutrients, it tends to give you the edge while in recovery. Not only will your body respond better to treatment, you should be at a lower risk of developing an infection as well. On the other hand, failing to eat a proper diet makes it more difficult for your body to begin the recovery process.  Consequently, you are more likely to experience negative symptoms like fatigue, nausea and decreased strength.

In addition, your general quality of live should improve when eating a healthy diet. Since many cancer patients experience adverse effects such as weight loss and depression, providing your body with adequate nutrition for mesothelioma or other types of cancer should be helpful. This is mainly because improved physical health tends to positively impact your mental health. When you can maintain a positive state of mind, it's only natural that your quality of live will improve and your chances of recovery are often increased.  For more information regarding developing a healthy diet while going through cancer please visit- The National Cancer Institute.

Knowledge is Relief

It’s been a while since my last blog entry and it’s time for an update.

First, I created my blog with the hope that I could help others suffering from digestive problems and acid reflux find an alternative to prescription medicine or surgery to resolve or control their issues. I have found success in that the blog is searchable; several times a year someone contacts me and I share strategies that have worked for me and recommend finding a Naturopathic Physician in their area to assist them with their endeavor.

I returned to my naturopath in early May. I was still feeling the effects of my “Acid Relapse” event in March. I was almost recovered but not quite there yet. I confessed to her that I thought part of the problem was my hiatal hernia ( I had not shared that info with her ever). A hiatal hernia occurs when weakened muscle tissue allows your stomach to bulge up through your diaphragm. You can learn more by following this link http://www.medicinenet.com/hiatal_hernia/article.htm. That was the cause of the pressure in my chest and then the burning sensation was from GERD or acid reflux.

Dr. Miller-Lane gave me some exercises to do if I have another hiatal hernia episode (with a disclaimer: seek medical attention in case of heart attack or stroke).  Also, because I was still having some issues with acid reflux she put me on a regimen of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, papaya enzymes and DGL. If you are familiar with my past blogs they explain DGL and the importance of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. The papaya enzymes were new to me and they help with digestion. I was aware from my early days of suffering that papaya was good for creating enzymes in the stomach. For a while I use to drink papaya juice and eat fresh papaya when I could find it. 

Today, May 23^rd I feel very good and my body is back to feeling normal. I still believe that diet, exercise and stress management are key to feeling the best you can. Because of the weather I have been able to be active cycling, hiking, gardening, washing car and doing yard work. Certain foods trigger acid reflux; I am very aware of what they are and either avoid or eat in moderation. I am still a  vegan and eat mostly organic or non-GMO foods. I also do 15 minutes of breathing meditation each day and think it is a crucial part of being healthy.

 

Acid Relapse

It started with chest pain and pressure; I took a ride to the ER in an ambulance. After 3 1/2 hrs of tests, blood drawings, anxiety and anticipation I was told that I had another Acid Reflux or GERD attack. They gave me an antacid to sooth my pain and suffering. How could this be? I had beat this thing! It had been over 5 years since my last attack! There had been no symptoms, no telltale signs of indigestion; it just occurred out of the blue!

At first, I wanted to blame it on the food I had eaten; a big bowl of hemp - flax seed granola with a banana and hemp milk. Then, no, I have eaten this many times in the past without issue. Maybe it was the bag of flax seed - black bean chips and the dark chocolate candy bar I had eaten on my way home from work? Just before going to bed? No, I've been doing that on a regular basis too.

After a few days of contemplation I have decided there are a number of factors that led to my demise; all are equally important.

1. Hydration - I have not been drinking as much water as I should. In the ambulance I told them I was dehydrated and they put me on a saline solution. Water is so important to our daily well-being

2. Exercise - It has been 3 weeks since I elevated my heart rate. It's so important to your whole system to exercise regularly. It helps reduce stress and acidity in the body, plus keeps our muscles toned and healthy.

3. Stress - I have been dealing with two stresses in my life; work and relationship or the lack of a relationship. Stress is hard to control and some things can only change with time. I have been given a few tools to deal with stress and have a few of my own; the trick is to use them consistently so that you do not blow a gasket.

4. Eating habits - I had been feeling good for so long I was pushing the envelope on my eating habits. It's not necessarily what I've been eating, rather how I've been eating and when. I eat too fast, eat before bed and eat more of some junk foods than I need to; everything in moderation.

I just purchased a book on the pH levels of food and plan to work on the four areas that I mentioned above. I have no doubt that I can get back to where I was soon and be smarter about how I live my life.

Please add comments and input.

I Wanna Know What's in My Food and Body Care Products.

Lately events, commercials and articles have driven me to write this post. It's very simple, I want to know what is in my food and body care products!

1.) To recently find out that Aspartame is going to be called a "Natural Sweetener" and that "Wood" is a common ingredient in much of our processed foods that we are feeding our children.

2.) To know that Johnson and Johnson is selling their baby care products in the USA with toxic ingredients while they have removed the ingredients in Europe because those countries demanded it.

3.) The FDA and USDA have decided that labeling genetically modified foods somehow implies that there is something wrong with the food and therefore refuse to pass regulations for labeling.

I recently read Micheal Pollen's book "In Defense of Food". The government has known since the 1970's that our diet was unhealthy and killing us, but has not done anything to change it. A Senate Select Committee led by George McGovern recommended that we eat less meat and dairy. After pressure from the Meat and Dairy industry that recommendation was reworded to less fat and cholesterol in our diets.

There are movements in America at present for the Right to Know. Follow the link to  Vermont Right to Know for more information.

Information about Safe Cosmetics can be found at http://safecosmetics.org/
 

It's really up to us to make sure we have healthy, nutritious food. It is getting more difficult to find it with factory farming and large conventional agriculture filling our supermarkets. Our conventional food has less omega 3's and natural vitamins because the soil has been stripped of its nutrients and they are not being replenished.

Whenever possible we should be buying grass fed beef, free-range chickens and eggs and local or organic fruits and vegetables.

I also highly recommend buying USDA organic body care products.

Labels for Liberty

Many of us do not realize it but most of the food we eat and drink has been genetically modified or adulterated in some way. The government in their infinite wisdom thinks that we as consumers do not need or want to know this information. I am appalled that as a parent, thinking that I was feeding my children healthy nutritious food; I was actually feeding them toxins and carcinogens and cancer causing ingredients.

 Becky and I fighting the good fight

At this time, many states have legislation pending the would require genetically modified foods to be labeled. In Vermont it is H.367. Contact your representatives and let them know that you want to know what is in your food! Do it today!