Thursday, February 27, 2014

time to get CREATIVE!

I'm an only child. 
I'm EXTREMELY close to my parents.
They're teaching me everything I need to know in order to be a good mommy someday.  
My mom always used to say to me, "You can't hit your kid then say I'm sorry". 
Hitting your kid is not an option. Once you hit your kid, there's no turning back. Apologizing won't fix it like a funny movie fixes any night on which you've studied your BUTT off for an anatomy exam (or history, or math, or chemistry, any subject for that matter). ;)
Where am I going with this? 
"You can't eat gluten/sugar/bacteria-fueling foods then say I'm sorry". 
That, like hitting, is something that cannot be undone. 
It's a song that cannot be unsung. 
It's a marathon that cannot be unrun (making up words here...!). 
It's popcorn that cannot be unpopped. 
It's a jack that cannot be unhammered. 
It's a peanut that cannot be unbuttered. 
It's a bean that cannot be unstalked. 
You catchin' my drift? :P 
If you're struggling to stick to safe foods, ☞ASK FOR HELP☜. 
Don't be scared off by the SCD.
Use it to your advantage. 
Don't get lost in the idea that you'll be fine in a couple of days. 
Chances are, you won't be. 
SO, have stuff like ALMOND MILK!!!! ALMOND FLOUR BISCUITS!!!! SCRAMBLED EGGS!!!! CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP!!! SUPER RIPE BANANA ICE CREAM!!!! ROASTED CARROTS!!!! ROTISSERIE CHICKEN!!!! A GRASS-FED BURGER!!!! BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRENCH FRIES!!!! ZUCCHINI PASTA!!!! 
We all know people eat for pleasure before they eat because they're hungry. 
For us, eating soup all the time isn't exactly something to jump up & down about... 
I mean, YES! It heals us; we KNOW that. But that doesn't make eating it all the time any easier. 
We have to be able to have fun, too! Our "Ben & Jerry's banana split" on a Friday night has to be something more along the lines of a delicious bowl of banana ice cream or maybe an egg souffle with cinnamon if fruit isn't working right now. 
THIS IS SO HARD SOMETIMES. 
Don't let yourself forget you're only human. 
I tend to do that A LOT.... 
I forget I'm just a girl trying to heal through diet & that I'M NOT A ROBOT.NEITHER ARE YOU!!!!!! 
It's funny. I guess in that respect I'm perfectly normal!!!! I struggle with my emotions sometimes if I'm frustrated with my illness or something & every single thread of my body wants to drown it out in a bowl of ice cream. But that's not an option for ANY of us, is it?  
And then I think about some of the darling people I've met around the world. 
These people who are trying to heal are mothers to three children, fathers trying to support a family, full-time workers/students with no free time... 
These people don't have MILLIONS OF DOLLARS floating around, nor do they have a boatload of downtime to prepare all these SCD foods. Buying organic whole foods is expensive!!!! Buying supplements is costly!!! And if they eat the wrong food, their life gets tossed into the mix. Their children are negatively affected. Their job is affected. Their happiness is affected. Their lover/partner for life is affected. Everything about them is affected. It's not an isolated incident. The problems from eating the wrong food have the power to dismantle your whole life, from top to bottom. 
I'm going to make it my top priority to post more recipes so this journey can be easier for you. That's what I want to do. I want to be a helping hand when you're feeling hopeless. 
This isn't all about me. I started this blog to HELP YOU. I want to make you feel better as you ride this ridiculously unpredictable roller coaster. 
Now, I have found this blog to be therapeutic for me BUT I don't want you to miss out on any of the healing benefits I'm trying to give out. 
Let's do this TOGETHER. 
Let's come up with things to eat together! Two minds are better than one right? 
I just made my second batch of almond milk so I'll put together a post for that. I also made almond flour (blanched almond flour) biscuits a few weeks ago. I'll include those in the post as well. 
What are some things you'd like me to experiment with? I'll do all the "test cooking" for you. I'll save you the trouble. 
I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED. 
So if you're still awake right now, when you head to bed, start dreaming up some SCD concoctions you'd like me to try. I'll put on my chef hat & get to work! 
:) 
Smile, guys. Healing naturally is a complicated process but it can be done. 
LOTS OF ENDLESS LOVE
Allie

(if you have any thoughts about foods or possible recipes or exciting ideas, please don't hesitate to leave them in a comment or in an email! Let's get some variety on your dinner plate) 
;) 

Sunday, February 16, 2014

The secret to wellness

I can't really put my finger on it but... something is different. SomeTHING has changed.

No more tears greeting me in the morning or sending me to bed at night. 
No more trips to the gym that last four hours or more.
No more "ugly talks" with myself at every turn. 
No more 100%-dependency on compression socks.
No more hiding. 
No more screaming. 
No more "I can't". 
No more "I won't".
No more mind games. 
No more days spent tucked under the covers in bed, crawled up in a ball, sobbing my eyes out from the bodily pain.
No more pain pills, not that I ever took them anyway; now I don't even acknowledge their existence. 
No more ridiculous ultimatums. 
No more "limitations"; these dietary/lifestyle restrictions give me access to my FREEDOM.

I can't tell you I'm certain I killed all the bugs.
I can't tell you I'm completely pain/fatigue-free. 
I can't tell you I'm certain this isn't all from an autoimmune disease in ACTUALITY, not just the Lyme. 
I can't tell you I'm certain that this cycle will ever end & that I'll be able to eat freely. 
I don't have all the answers. 
I'm still looking but I'm no longer fixated on finding these truths.
I'm still doing everything in my power to get WELL but I'm living my life in the meantime. 

❤School.
❤Part-time work.
❤A relationship.
❤Cooking.
❤Baking.
❤Bracelet-making.
❤Internship applications 
at zoos. 
❤College applications for this Fall. 
❤Friday movie-nights.
❤A quick dip in the swimming pool. 
❤Coming across GLUTEN-FREE 
lip balm. 
❤Singing in the car along with my 
favorite tunes. 
❤Texting all my cousins to say 
"I LOVE YOU". 
❤Skyping with my friends in 
Germany & Australia. 
❤Sending a letter to someone like we 
used to in the 
old days pre-TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD. 
❤Going for a walk. 
❤Trying to cook rice & failing 
multiple times. 
❤Wiping the snow off of my fuzzy 
little pooch's paws. 
❤Lying on my red-checked couch. 
❤Getting giggly over my 
electric toothbrush.

These things are just as, if not MORE, important than the nutritional/supplemental side of healing. Without these, you have nothing. Wellness is a combination of proper nutrition, vitamins (if necessary & tolerated), AND a colorful life with laughter & hiccups & burnt rice.  

If you have boundaries you aren't comfortable crossing yet, that's fine!! Stick with what you know. 
If that means a strict version of the SCD, go for it! 
If you're ready to step out of your comfort zone but you still want to adhere to the SCD,
try going online & searching Comfy Belly!!!! She has some positively FABULOUS SCD recipes you will love!!! 

You just have to find ways to cope. That's the bottom line. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I was in pain as I wrote this post. But instead of focusing on the pain, I'm wearing my favorite pair of pajama pants & I'm blasting Justin Timberlake throughout the house. 
☞You gotta learn how to cope.☜
Do whatever it takes. 
That's the secret to wellness.
If it means taking a nap, do it. 
If it means painting your toes & preparing for summer, do it. 
If it means taking a hot Epsom salt bath three days a week, do it. 
This DOES NOT go away over night. 
SO, find a way to live your life around these limitations. 
Don't stop living while you're waiting for your body to heal. Do them together. 
HEAL AND LIVE AT THE SAME TIME.  
We're halfway through February already. It's not too late to start LIVING. 
Start today. 
DO IT TODAY. 
Add a new paint brush to your repertoire. 
Throw in some new flashy colors. 
Try painting a landscape instead of the bowl of fruit on your dining room table. 
Go outside of your bubble. 
It's scary in the beginning but worth it in the end. 

❤,
Allie