Tag: vegetables

Posted in food

Food can be medicine!

Posted on by nlchronicles

Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

I’ve been doing sooooo much reading about how certain nutrients can specifically benefit certain conditions. One book that I read was Eat to Beat Disease by Dr. William Li. Mind blowing! A friend even purchased the book after hearing me talk about it so much.

When we eat, we are choosing what outcomes are body will have – health or disease. Now is this perfect? No. Epigentics plays a huge factor on us but we can assist our bodies by being as preventative as possible through our choices. So I wanted to share some of the insights that I found out via Dr. Li and other sources. I am now experimenting with all of the recommendations below in a search for better health and hoping to put the autoimmune condition in remission!

  • Did you know… watercress’s antioxidants have been linked to lower risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease? It has over 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamins K. And one cup is only 4 calories!!
  • Did you know … eating processed meats 4 to 5 days per week is equivalent to accelerating your age one year for every year you eat that way?
  • Did you know …having lycopene-rich foods/juices (guava, tomato, watermelon, etc) before having X-rays reduced the damage done to the DNA by the radiation?
  • Did you know …eating 40 grams of dark chocolate daily can positively influence gut bacteria and reduce the body’s stress markers in only TWO weeks?
  • Did you know …high salt intake is not only linked to high blood pressure but it also strips away the protective mucus lining of your stomach?
  • Did you know …cherry, San Marzano and Tangerine tomatoes have more lycopene than other varieties?
  • Did you know …fasting cycles might be used to build a fresh immune system?
  • Did you know …pomegranate juice can rebuild the gut lining?

And why try to incorporate healthy, whole food? 420 million people worldwide have diabetes AND it leads to 1.6 millions deaths each year!! You and I have such a great influence on our health! Are there any recommendations that you have to improve and enhance health? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Posted in Updates

Then and Now

Posted on by nlchronicles

About a month into my journey to feel better, I started taking pictures to chronicle my progress as the scale doesn’t always correlate to progress. And I still do it because the body dysmorphia is real! I may not see myself as the size that I started, but I also don’t see my current size the same way others do.

So …the left hand picture is from September 2018. I remember buying that shirt; I loved it! It was a size XXL from JCPenney. The picture on the right is from last week. I am going to a funeral and, as usual, most of my clothes are too big *sigh*. I live by a Gap factory store that has AMAZING prices so I headed there to find something appropriate. The sweater is a small 😱 I haven’t worn a small since 8th grade while running track! The skirt is a size 8, both by banana republic 😱 I don’t ever remember wearing anything below a size 9. I’m always amazed when I see these comparisons.

How it started. How it’s going

And as you can see, I still have a knee sleeve on as my right knee continues to be a challenge. That day, I had gotten steroid shots in both knees so I’m still researching ways to improve joint health and minimize inflammation and arthritis. I plan to start the autoimmune protocol (AIP) in January to continue to reduce inflammation and figure out what triggers I may have.

I’m also focusing on gut health and started a new probiotic that is supposed to be great. With all the research available about the gut and the need for bacterial diversity to support health, I’m hoping that the probiotic, along with continued modifications, will help. And on most days, I aim for 5-6 servings of veggies and 1-2 servings of fruit along with protein; I eat a good deal of fish. All of this is a change from then to now.

Let me know what changes you’ve made and seen in your health. And any tips to reduce inflammation are great appreciated! To your good health…