Vitamins, Minerals, and Beta Carotene!

I used to think I was allergic to vitamins. I know that sounds absurd, but hear me out.  For some reason whenever I tried multivitamins they made me itch and I would get breakouts. Not just ordinary breakouts but the cystic kind. I tried different OTC brands and even "organic" brands but something was amiss. Vitamins made me paranoid so I just stopped taking them. I thought to my self that I can get my vitamins through the food I eat anyway. That is true, but that may not always be the case. We definitely need a boost of vitamins especially with all the stress that is going on around us. This is where proper research and diligence comes in.

It turns out that I really am allergic to multivitamins. Not the vitamins itself but the ingredients of the pills. Most pills have corn, rice, wheat, dyes, and other ingredients that people may tend to neglect but are actually allergenic. I am so lucky that my nutritionist helps me out and recommends products to use. I have really learned to read labels not only with food but with supplements cause you never know what they stuff in there until you read labels and ask. 

The Blue Bonnet brand makes vitamins that are milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nut, peanut, wheat, soy, corn, yeast, gluten, barley, rice, sodium and sugar free! (phew!) I was almost hesitant to try it out due to past experiences but I'm glad I did. There are probably more brands out there that cater to people with allergies. I will try to see if I can find some and review them. But for now, I think i'm good with this brand. 

The only thing that I don't like about the product is that it is a little pricey, and they don't make multivitamins and minerals that don't have rice. So I have to get INDIVIDUAL vitamins and minerals to take. (It's a lot of pills, son.) >_<

So, moral of the story, eat your vegetables! Hehe ;) 

Carpet Cleaning

I caught Honey doing some "carpet cleaning" while I pretended to sleep.

Craptastic!

As a nurse, we deal with a lot of crap (both literally and figuratively) in the unit. I guess you can say we have been "desensitized" from being grossed out at the sight of bodily secretions and excretions, including excrement >_<. We  can talk about bloody and/or explosive diarrhea on our lunch break without cringing or getting nauseous.

Oddly enough, I have also found humor in poop. I found these key caps on the internet and thought these were awesome accessories (to me anyway, haha). Adorable poop FTW!

LEAP Phase 1 Day 1-7 Part 1

On the first phase, they started me off with a few food selections to go by. The first phase lasted for seven days. You can get really creative and cook your food however you like but you can't have any other ingredient that is not on the list. I am not a chef so I do apologize if the pictures aren't too appetizing. ;p

This was what I had to begin with.


Chicken:

This was my main source of protein for that week.


Nutrition facts about chicken:
Chicken meat contains about 150 calories per 100 grams.
Chicken is low in carbohydrate, low in fat with a moderate protein content.
Chicken contains all the B Vitamins, especially B3, but only trace amounts of B12.




Tuna:

The chicken of the sea. I like tuna but didn't really use a lot of it cause it is too expensive for my budget. But I like seared tuna with some vegetables as seen on the picture. 


Fun facts about tuna:
A diet rich in fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, like canned tuna, can curb or prevent cognitive decline, dementia, depression, neuropsychiatric disorders, asthma and inflammatory disorders.




Cassava:

Cassava or yucca or kamoteng kahoy (in tagalog), makes a really healthy snack. I like making cassava fries or chips and adding sea salt. The starch is made into tapioca flour, which I use to replace cornstarch with. 
Nutrition facts:

Cassava is Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium

High in Vitamin C and Manganese

Quinoa:

Pronounced as keen-wa, it is a high protein seed that is used as a grain. The plant was cultivated by the Inca Indians, and used in religious ceremonies for centuries in South America.
This was my rice replacement. I grew up eating rice, and at first it was really hard but I got used to not eating rice after a while. Quinoa has to be soaked in water at least 15 minutes because it has this bitter taste if you don't. 
Quinoa has many nutrients, and is recognized widely as a good source of complete protein as well as magnesium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, dietary fiber, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese. 


Beet:

We got the beet! Yeah, yeah, corny I know haha. I've never tried beets before I went on this program, but roasted beets aren't half bad. 

Nutrition facts:

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.While the sweet beet root has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars. This renders it highly effective in treating many ailments caused by our toxic environment and surrounding.

Using all parts of the kill, the stem and leaves can also be mixed with stir fry dishes and soups.






Broccoli:



Broccoli is probably one of my favorite veggies. They are very easy to cook. You can just steam or boil them for a few minutes and voila, you have something to munch on. 

It is loaded with antioxidants and protective phytochemicals. Broccoli can prevent some types of cancer. It also contains generous amounts of folic acid, which may prevent some birth defects and be beneficial in warding off heart disease, strokes and some cancers. Broccoli also contains some of the highest levels of vitamins A and C of any food.

Avocado:

Ahh, avocados. Love 'em. I was so glad I was not reacting to avocados since I was already sensitive to mangoes, peaches and pears. They are just so good, even without adding sugar or milk. 
Fun fact:
Avocados have over 20 vitamins and minerals and therefore considered to be one of the world’s most healthiest foods. An avocado has 60% more potassium than a banana on a  per ounce basis.  Avocados also have the most protein of any fruit.


Cabbage:

I didn't have any cabbage pictures available, sorry about that :D
I'm not really that much into cabbages but I like mixing them in soups and stir fries as well. I also made chicken cabbage wraps a few days ago. I should really take pictures. 




Next is part two of phase 1      ^___^


sources:
chicken
tuna
quinoa
cassava
beets
broccoli
avocado
cabbage patch logo

Dog Day

Cute picture of the day: A bouvier des flandres and a shih tzu came by at the hospital and brightened everyone's day :)

Turtle Power!

                                               

 

It is super cold outside and I just randomly thought of taking pictures while wearing a turtleneck shirt! Cause I'm insane! Keep warm! And yes, I know the first picture is creepy ^_^.

Unproductive Day

Today was just a day where I did absolutely nothing but eat and lie down and be in front of my laptop. The ultimate sloth. It's amazing how my metabolism has not given up on me and that I somehow manage to stay stick thin -- which is not by choice, BTW. But on the bright side, I got to blog again. Yay! Happy new year! I'm sure most of you have your new year's resolutions for this year. I've actually desecrated 2 resolutions today. Wait, make that 3.

Anyway, here are mine:

1. Drink more water. I find this hard to do especially when I'm at work. I just never get to find the time to just drink. SO, every time I'm in the "nourishment" room, I will make sure to try and drink a cup of water or two. 

2. Update this blog as much as I can. I am a little behind, but I give my self a pat on the back for the effort :D

3. Try to read more and stay current. I also plan to go back to school by September. 

4. Move. Stay active.

5. Be nicer. Sometimes (yes, sometimes hehe) I let my hormones get the best of me and I just snap at someone like a crazy person. I really want to be a more calm and collected person this year and hopefully throughout. 

6. New hairstyle. I don't know why but I always fuss about my hair every new year. I'm thinking of getting it cut really short but then again I want to braid it. Maybe I should just shave my head and get a wig. Hmm....

7. Save up. 

8. Be more organized.

9. Last but not least, to be on time. I live like 5 minutes away from my work but somehow I always end up being 5 minutes late.

Well, wish me luck! 

LEAP For Health

After finding out what food I was reacting to, It was time to eliminate and reintroduce food. Lifestyle and Eating Performance created this program to help calm the immune system, which is why it is called immunocalm diet.

The program has 6 phases where you slowly introduce food and see how you react to them. My nutritionist made me fill up a survey and made me list down what I ate to help facilitate the healing process.

I never used to enjoy cooking but I had to make everything from scratch, and I had to eat separately from my family since they eat food that I react to. At first I was craving a lot of food, but as of now, I learned how to be content. It was really challenging to come up with meal plans, budgeting and doing grocery shopping, but over time, I am actually enjoying it.

To know more about LEAP, you can go to this website: LEAP

The Results Are In

Bommmmmm. And so the day finally came and I was able to find out what food I was sensitive to. By the way, as with any test, this test is 94% accurate, so it has room for error. The test results look like the example chart below. Green means you're not sensitive to the food. Yellow means you're moderately reacting to it, And red means stay away from it. Stay away!

I have already deduced some of the results beforehand to be reactive like citrus, dairy, soy etc. My gut feelings were on the ball with those but I was surprised to find out what other food I was sensitive to. Pistachios, mango, rice, watermelon, tea, yeast, pork, garlic, onion, mint, oat, ... T_T ohohoh and the list goes on! I'm also allergic to dyes, which explains a lot why I get hives and breakouts whenever I take medications or just plain vitamins.  

When I got home, I looked at our pantry, my toiletries, and I was shocked. Everything I was using, I was reactive to. I had to throw out my dental floss, my mouthwash, my lotions. I did not want to eat anything. I guess you could say I got a little paranoid. Hahaha. I had to start the LEAP program earlier than planned.... 

sources:

picture

Mediator Release Test

I am way way way behind in blogging about this, i'm already on the third phase of the program, but it is better late than never, right? Remember when I was talking about food sensitivities and how they can affect our skin? Well, sometimes your gut feelings aren't always up to par with what you are sensitive to. Even if I was very careful with what  I ate, I was still breaking out. It was about time I got some help. I was searching on the internet about something-- can't really remember what, but I stumbled upon a nutritionist that does Mediator Release Testing here in Austin. What is it you ask? Well, this test determines food sensitivities, not food allergies. The good thing about this is that food sensitivities don't appear as quickly as food allergies, and they come in different forms such as fatigue, headaches, constipation, and many other symptoms that we don't really think of as having to do with food sensitivity. Which is why we don't suspect these certain foods that are actually harming us. x_X

The test is a little pricey, $350, but my nutritionist was nice enough to show me a link where Hershey's (yes, the chocolate makers) partnered with dieticians to help people become more aware of their health. They sponsored upto 250 dollars for a first time visit to a nutritionist or dietician, which saved me a lot of money, since my insurance doesn't cover this testing. 

Here is a link if you want to know more about Hershey's and good nutrition: Hershey's

As I have said, I did the testing a few months ago and was not able to document it, but here is a crappy  representation of what I did. 

1. Get kit. Make sure to keep the box in a cool area. 

2. Get your blood drawn. You need to fill up 4 vials so drink up! The blood draw has to be after 1 pm, and you should have eaten before having your blood drawn. 

3. Send blood. The kit contains a fedex bag so all you have to do is seal up the blood, fill up the papers, label the box and send it to a fedex store that accepts blood or blood products. 

The test took about two weeks and my nutritionist  emailed me and I set up an appointment with her to find out what the results were. Bom bom bommm...