Reintroduction Day 17: 03/05/14

Now every time that I eat corn it feels like my head is in one of those clamps you find on a work bench. Right on my temples there's a tremendously uncomfortable pressure that makes me want to go cross eyed and also take a long nap. The chips and popcorn are no worth it and I almost want to just stop testing them.

I thought that I might do a little blog post about the supplements behind this diet. I eat really well, but I also take some supplements to bring my body to 110%!

AM: probiotic, fish oil, multi vitamin, calm magnesium
PM: DIM+
Occasionally: Colloidal Silver and papaya enzyme

Let me tell you, papaya enzymes are my secret weapon, especially while testing these foods! Every time that I am feeling nausea or my stomach hurts I chew a few of these and it almost always goes away in a matter of minutes. I think that I have gotten it to be some kind of mental magic that just by chewing them my mind thinks "oh my stomach will stop hurting now" and then it does right away. I just love them they are just as chalky as Tums but not as questionable. ( Here's the kind I buy! )

The probiotic, fish oil and multi vitamin are just for maintenance. You know, for my hair and nails and skin, etc. The magnesium is fairly new, I also take epsom salt baths to get magnesium, but I've been drinking it for about a week now in the mornings. It is pretty good, I can't say I have noticed a huge difference yet, but I didn't really research this one, my mom sent it to me to start taking!

The DIM+ is to regulate hormone levels, which I really need since I am off the pill for the first time in two years. But, it also has a ton of fiber and really helps my digestive health which is totally great because it was definitely challenging during the testing weeks to feel good.

Reintroduction Day 16: 03/04/14

I can already tell that corn is not going to be a winner this week. Getting into bed tonight my joints and my back just feel so achey, like stiff and uncomfortable. Blah. I did enjoy eating popcorn last night and tortilla chips during lunch, but not enough to justify this. I have also noticed that this week so far I am having a lot more cravings for snacks. After eating a meal, I am not really satisfied and I just want to keep snacking and eating. Testing these foods has really thrown me off my regular diet and it's no fun! 

Today, after class, I had a nice healthy snack! Apple slices with almond butter spread on them! It was really yummy, I love almond butter on anything! I could just camp out with a jar and a spoon and be in almond butter heaven! 

Reintroduction Day 15: 03/03/14

Today is day one testing corn, I have popcorn and tortilla chips. I haven't had them yet, I am saving them for when one of my shows comes on tonight.

For dinner I finally made spaghetti squash lo mein! It was actually pretty good but the soy-free soy sauce definitely needs a little tweaking.

I used a 3lb. spaghetti squash, 1lb of chicken, 3 cups of broccoli, scallions, garlic, ginger and balsamic vinegar. I made it for four nights, so each serving has 276 calories, 33g carbs, 3g fiber, 31g of protein! I think that's pretty awesome, it took a bit of time between roasting the squash and also stir-frying the chicken. I still want it to taste more similar to regular lo mein. Of course after dinner, I roasted the seeds and had those! I think that next time I will rinse the seeds and then add the salt, it might stick better.

Reintroduction Day 14: 03/02/14

Just finished a really delicious lunch: a rice tortilla with refried beans! Yum! I like to cut them into little triangles because the beans are a little too thick to fold or roll the tortilla. 

I am really feeling great after a few days off dairy, which makes me feel even more certain about my decision to avoid it for the most part. That is almost how I started out being gluten-free, deciding to avoid it whenever possible. I started in January 2013, I cut my gluten down to just one serving a day. I would usually have organic bread with my sandwich or pizza sometimes, I tried to make sure that when I did eat gluten it was at least non-GMO and organic. Then sometime in March, I decided to be completely gluten-free. I was pretty rigid about it after that, except when I got home from college in may and ate a cheese calzone at my grandmother's. For about four days after eating it, I felt like I was digesting a rock. It was painful and I could feel the swelling in my digestive system. It was the worst and it was after that I decided it just wasn't worth it to cheat. Except in Greece because their wheat is different...but that's a whole other story. I think that eventually I will reach that point with diary, it may be fine once in a while but maybe there will be a day when it is just not worth it.

Reintroduction Day 13: 03/01/14

I'm actually glad to be on a break from testing foods after the last four days. My skin is getting worse and I just feel out of whack. I can't wait to just eat clean this weekend and get back to feeling great.

Today I am making sweet potato fries in the oven which are super easy and delicious! I like to cut mine in circles because I think it is easier than cutting them into fries. I just baked these at 350 for about 30 minutes flipping them in the middle. Make sure to put some olive oil on them to keep them from getting too crispy, although I like it when they turn into chips!