I just made a realization today about how awesome the first commandment is. When God says "You shall have no other Gods before me," He is not being a proud, demanding, selfish jerk, He's showing us how much He loves us. Often, our relationship with God is compared to a marriage, other times it is referred to more like a parent/child relationship. Either way, loving a jealous God finally makes sense to me.
As a wife, I imagined how I might feel if a man, other than my husband, wanted me to be his wife. Now, at first it might be flattering knowing that my husband has such a great wife that someone else wants me, too. But what if my husband told this other guy, "Sure! We can share her! I'll have her on even days, and you can have her on odd days."?! I'm pretty sure I would be outraged and hurt. By handing me over to someone else, my husband would show me that I'm not worth as much to him as I may have thought. Most things, if you truly value them, you keep to your self, safe and protected.
As a daughter, I can imagine someone saying to my parents "She's such a great daughter! Can she be our daughter too?" Again, I'm sure I'd be flattered and pleased with myself at being such a wonderful daughter. But, if my parents were to give me up to some other person, I'd feel so much less special. I'd feel like they didn't love me enough to want to keep me as their own. I know I am special to them and they love me because they claim me as their child. They don't say that I'm theirs only when I'm doing something that they're proud of; I'm theirs even when I do things they are not proud of.
Luckily, God is the same way, but even better. He's loved us from the start, before we were even born, before our parents even thought us up! He loves us and claims us as His, regardless of the things we say or do. He loves us so much, that he wants to be our one and only Father (or husband, depending on which comparison you're going to run with).
The difference is, God is perfect, all-knowing and all-powerful, and everything that he allows to happen in our lives is for our own good. Our parents or our husband may do things or say things because they feel it is for our own good (or because they're so frustrated they don't know what else to do or say). God knows exactly what to do and when to do it, what to say and how to say it, so that you will eventually become closer to Him. How amazing is that?! Someone who could have anything He wants at any time, loves me (you) so much that He wants to be my (your) only desire! I love this song by Sidewalk Prophets that explains the purpose of the "things" we go through in life, so that we learn to focus on our God, our One True Desire.
AMEN!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Evolution of my eating this year
Does anyone else feel like someone they love isn't open to the idea of healthy living? I have made it a high priority to research healthy lifestyles so I can prepare the most healthy meals and snacks for my family, and I get excited and share with anyone who will listen :-) Then, it can take the wind out of my sails when someone you want to see improve their health, purposely do the opposite of what you've been talking about.
I am not a nutritionist. I have a degree in psychology and education, not a degree anywhere related to health and wellness. I am self-educating by researching and consulting with people who DO have medical and nutritional degrees. When I learn something new, I want to apply it to our lives as soon as possible so I can slowly learn how to adjust our lifestyle. This way is best for me because I can be kind of a perfectionist to the point of quitting if I mess up. The "start it and continue to learn" method works for me because I'm OK with making mistakes as I'm learning more information about the lifestyle change.
The first adjustment I made to our diets was avoiding gluten. It took me months to feel familiar enough with places gluten hides to make confident purchases at the grocery store. At about the same time, I reduced the amount of dairy. We used vanilla almond or soy milk for cereal. (The girls called it ice cream milk because the vanilla flavoring reminded them of ice cream.) We still don't do much dairy, but we do have milk with the occasional bowl of cereal. My kids LOVE cheese and our ND said that our bodies process cheese more easily than cow milk because of the way it's processed. He suggested goat milk instead of cow milk. Apparently goat milk enzymes are more compatible with our bodies.
Then I looked into Paleo. Let me just say, that if you are a person who is conscious of the chemicals that are in boxed, canned and bagged foods, Paleo is an easy way to go. I was so stressed out while I was grocery shopping, checking labels for toxins and the 60 names for each toxin, and different names for gluten contents! For a while, I literally had a list of all the chemical names in my purse to check before putting something in my cart.
Then, when I decided Paleo was even better of an option than gluten-free, my stress moved from looking at the chemical contents in everything to the cost of everything. I no longer had to worry if I missed one of the ingredients, or if there was an ingredient name that wasn't on my list but also wasn't familiar to me. It was SO EASY! If I could buy it "as is" from an organic farmer or grow it myself, then it clearly didn't contain all those things I was looking for on boxed and canned foods. However, I was concerned about pricing. Organic fruits, organic vegetables and meat from animals that live as naturally as possible can be pretty expensive. But, what I noticed is that I wasn't spending money on gluten-free waffles, chips, and snacks; so, when the final bill came at the register, it wasn't any different than before.
Next I looked into the Alkaline diet. At that time, I had some skin issues and suspected candida albicans overgrowth was responsible. I tested my pH frequently and was always EXTREMELY acidic (prime breeding grounds for things like candida and disease). So I tried to merge the Alkaline diet into the Paleo as well as the Candida diet. Oh deary me! I probably could have done a 3 ring VennDiagram and would've only had broccoli and asparagus that was acceptable on all 3 diets. How frustrating!
Finally, I talked to my ND, got confirmation of my candida suspicions and asked for diet suggestions. Candida is a yeast/fungus that is naturally in our bodies, but when intestinal flora is out of whack can allow the candida to kind of take over. It feeds on access sugar, so people on the Candida Diet don't eat sugar and sometimes don't even eat fruit because of the high sugar content. When I expressed my frustration with my ND about finding a proper lifestyle, not just a diet, for our family, he suggested Trim Healthy Mamma. I put the book on my Christmas list and found a copy at the library to hold me over until Christmas! I have not read the 600+ page book, but from talking with our ND, it makes sense. Our body's reaction to foods depends on a lot of things, including what other things we eat with it. For example, he said that if you eat a meat and a starchy carb like potatoes, it causes a bigger spike in our blood sugar and stimulates our pancreas more than if the carb was eaten separately. This book is all about the glycemic index. If there's no excess sugar in my body, the candida has nothing to feed off from, right? Plus, it also seems to be 99% Paleo friendly, using organic, natural and preservative free foods.
SO... what I've decided is this: I'm going to try out the Trim Healthy Mamma lifestyle and keep you all posted :-) From what I have been reading on different blogs and on the THM website, my husband probably won't notice any difference in our diet! We'll be eating meats, fruits, veggies, eggs... all the stuff we were eating honoring the Paleo thought process, but the food items will be paired more intentionally. There are even some great recipes for sugar-free desserts and even CHOCOLATE!!! Now, I haven't had much of anything sweet since I found out about the candida. Let me tell you, if I can't have it, it's not coming in this house. If there is any kind of sweets in my house and I know I'm not supposed to have them, I eat them. Plain and simple. I have great self-control at the grocery store, so I don't buy sweets. If there are any sweets in my house, they were gifted to my husband or children, most likely by my in-laws or one of my grandmas. Point being, I'm looking forward to these new recipes that will satisfy my sweet tooth without feeding the candida.
I'll keep you posted and might even share some recipes :-)
I am not a nutritionist. I have a degree in psychology and education, not a degree anywhere related to health and wellness. I am self-educating by researching and consulting with people who DO have medical and nutritional degrees. When I learn something new, I want to apply it to our lives as soon as possible so I can slowly learn how to adjust our lifestyle. This way is best for me because I can be kind of a perfectionist to the point of quitting if I mess up. The "start it and continue to learn" method works for me because I'm OK with making mistakes as I'm learning more information about the lifestyle change.
The first adjustment I made to our diets was avoiding gluten. It took me months to feel familiar enough with places gluten hides to make confident purchases at the grocery store. At about the same time, I reduced the amount of dairy. We used vanilla almond or soy milk for cereal. (The girls called it ice cream milk because the vanilla flavoring reminded them of ice cream.) We still don't do much dairy, but we do have milk with the occasional bowl of cereal. My kids LOVE cheese and our ND said that our bodies process cheese more easily than cow milk because of the way it's processed. He suggested goat milk instead of cow milk. Apparently goat milk enzymes are more compatible with our bodies.
Then I looked into Paleo. Let me just say, that if you are a person who is conscious of the chemicals that are in boxed, canned and bagged foods, Paleo is an easy way to go. I was so stressed out while I was grocery shopping, checking labels for toxins and the 60 names for each toxin, and different names for gluten contents! For a while, I literally had a list of all the chemical names in my purse to check before putting something in my cart.
Then, when I decided Paleo was even better of an option than gluten-free, my stress moved from looking at the chemical contents in everything to the cost of everything. I no longer had to worry if I missed one of the ingredients, or if there was an ingredient name that wasn't on my list but also wasn't familiar to me. It was SO EASY! If I could buy it "as is" from an organic farmer or grow it myself, then it clearly didn't contain all those things I was looking for on boxed and canned foods. However, I was concerned about pricing. Organic fruits, organic vegetables and meat from animals that live as naturally as possible can be pretty expensive. But, what I noticed is that I wasn't spending money on gluten-free waffles, chips, and snacks; so, when the final bill came at the register, it wasn't any different than before.
Next I looked into the Alkaline diet. At that time, I had some skin issues and suspected candida albicans overgrowth was responsible. I tested my pH frequently and was always EXTREMELY acidic (prime breeding grounds for things like candida and disease). So I tried to merge the Alkaline diet into the Paleo as well as the Candida diet. Oh deary me! I probably could have done a 3 ring VennDiagram and would've only had broccoli and asparagus that was acceptable on all 3 diets. How frustrating!
Finally, I talked to my ND, got confirmation of my candida suspicions and asked for diet suggestions. Candida is a yeast/fungus that is naturally in our bodies, but when intestinal flora is out of whack can allow the candida to kind of take over. It feeds on access sugar, so people on the Candida Diet don't eat sugar and sometimes don't even eat fruit because of the high sugar content. When I expressed my frustration with my ND about finding a proper lifestyle, not just a diet, for our family, he suggested Trim Healthy Mamma. I put the book on my Christmas list and found a copy at the library to hold me over until Christmas! I have not read the 600+ page book, but from talking with our ND, it makes sense. Our body's reaction to foods depends on a lot of things, including what other things we eat with it. For example, he said that if you eat a meat and a starchy carb like potatoes, it causes a bigger spike in our blood sugar and stimulates our pancreas more than if the carb was eaten separately. This book is all about the glycemic index. If there's no excess sugar in my body, the candida has nothing to feed off from, right? Plus, it also seems to be 99% Paleo friendly, using organic, natural and preservative free foods.
SO... what I've decided is this: I'm going to try out the Trim Healthy Mamma lifestyle and keep you all posted :-) From what I have been reading on different blogs and on the THM website, my husband probably won't notice any difference in our diet! We'll be eating meats, fruits, veggies, eggs... all the stuff we were eating honoring the Paleo thought process, but the food items will be paired more intentionally. There are even some great recipes for sugar-free desserts and even CHOCOLATE!!! Now, I haven't had much of anything sweet since I found out about the candida. Let me tell you, if I can't have it, it's not coming in this house. If there is any kind of sweets in my house and I know I'm not supposed to have them, I eat them. Plain and simple. I have great self-control at the grocery store, so I don't buy sweets. If there are any sweets in my house, they were gifted to my husband or children, most likely by my in-laws or one of my grandmas. Point being, I'm looking forward to these new recipes that will satisfy my sweet tooth without feeding the candida.
I'll keep you posted and might even share some recipes :-)
Monday, November 17, 2014
ADD/ADHD and salicylates
WOW! I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THE WAY OUR BODIES WORK!
Tonight I stumbled across something called a salicylate sensitivity. Some researchers believe that many people with ADD/ADHD have sensitivities to a naturally found chemical called salicylate. If you like chemistry, then this post is for you! Salicylates are specific type of phenol compound. For those who are like me and struggled through high school chemistry, it just means that they contain certain elements from that chart we had to memorize that are attached in a specific order or pattern. Anyway, these natural chemicals are often beneficial for our bodies as long as our bodies are processing them correctly. They are found in wonderfully nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and nuts. BUT, if our bodies don't have the proper enzymes to process those foods, then those typically nutritious and helpful chemicals can cause our bodies to react negatively.
As I was reading this page, I thought "What a plethora of information! I need to share this!" Then I read, and reread a paragraph about the cause of this sensitivity. In the paragraph titled "Why Do People React To Them" the author states "In a normal body, one with the correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes, phenols and salicylates are easily metabolized. The body utilizes what it needs from the chemicals and properly disposes of the rest through the bowels. In those whose levels are abnormal, or in the case of leaky gut syndrome, intolerance to this chemical family can occur rather quickly." (Italics/bold added for emphasis)The statement about correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes got me thinking about how someone could fix that deficit. So, I did a little more research (because that's what I like to do!). Sulfates are a natural form of sulfur compound, which also can be found naturally in foods. Another way that you can get sulfur (which you need to make up a sulfate molecule) is taking a supplement.
My husband struggles with ADD, so I'm ordering a sulfur supplement to see if he notices a difference. I do know that when he was taking DMAE, he noticed a difference. So we'll do a comparison and keep you posted!
I also learned that sulfur deficiency can cause all kinds of sensitivities to foods such as tree nuts. If you have lots of allergy issues, adding a sulfur supplement might be something to consider.
The statement in the article about salicylates also mentioned levels of liver enzymes. Well guess what can cause a change in liver enzymes. Medicines such as Aleve and Tylenol! Incorrect levels of liver enzymes are a sign of metabolic dysfunction and liver inflammation. Other medications that can mess with your liver are some anti-biotics, some anti-fungals, some antidepressants and others.
Here are a few more pages you might be interested in if you're interested in the effects of sulfur, sulfates, salicylates, etc...
The difference between sulfa drugs, sulfate, sulfite, and sulfur.
The importance of sulfur compounds in our bodies.
The importance and use of MSM, a specific sulfur compound that is beneficial for the natural function of our bodies.
Tonight I stumbled across something called a salicylate sensitivity. Some researchers believe that many people with ADD/ADHD have sensitivities to a naturally found chemical called salicylate. If you like chemistry, then this post is for you! Salicylates are specific type of phenol compound. For those who are like me and struggled through high school chemistry, it just means that they contain certain elements from that chart we had to memorize that are attached in a specific order or pattern. Anyway, these natural chemicals are often beneficial for our bodies as long as our bodies are processing them correctly. They are found in wonderfully nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and nuts. BUT, if our bodies don't have the proper enzymes to process those foods, then those typically nutritious and helpful chemicals can cause our bodies to react negatively.
As I was reading this page, I thought "What a plethora of information! I need to share this!" Then I read, and reread a paragraph about the cause of this sensitivity. In the paragraph titled "Why Do People React To Them" the author states "In a normal body, one with the correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes, phenols and salicylates are easily metabolized. The body utilizes what it needs from the chemicals and properly disposes of the rest through the bowels. In those whose levels are abnormal, or in the case of leaky gut syndrome, intolerance to this chemical family can occur rather quickly." (Italics/bold added for emphasis)The statement about correct levels of sulfates and liver enzymes got me thinking about how someone could fix that deficit. So, I did a little more research (because that's what I like to do!). Sulfates are a natural form of sulfur compound, which also can be found naturally in foods. Another way that you can get sulfur (which you need to make up a sulfate molecule) is taking a supplement.
My husband struggles with ADD, so I'm ordering a sulfur supplement to see if he notices a difference. I do know that when he was taking DMAE, he noticed a difference. So we'll do a comparison and keep you posted!
I also learned that sulfur deficiency can cause all kinds of sensitivities to foods such as tree nuts. If you have lots of allergy issues, adding a sulfur supplement might be something to consider.
The statement in the article about salicylates also mentioned levels of liver enzymes. Well guess what can cause a change in liver enzymes. Medicines such as Aleve and Tylenol! Incorrect levels of liver enzymes are a sign of metabolic dysfunction and liver inflammation. Other medications that can mess with your liver are some anti-biotics, some anti-fungals, some antidepressants and others.
Here are a few more pages you might be interested in if you're interested in the effects of sulfur, sulfates, salicylates, etc...
The difference between sulfa drugs, sulfate, sulfite, and sulfur.
The importance of sulfur compounds in our bodies.
The importance and use of MSM, a specific sulfur compound that is beneficial for the natural function of our bodies.
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