Monday, August 6, 2012
What Aikido Means to Me and how it Relates to a Paleo/Primal Lifestyle
Long time no write. Life has gotten in the way. I’ve been busy with work and family functions this summer. In fact, I just had a reunion in Chicago on the 20-22 of July, which was lots of fun. Anyways, back to what I wanted to write about and it’s not about how my diet is going or even explicitly about the Paleo lifestyle. It’s about Aikido, the Japanese martial art founded by O-Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba.
In early May, I started to seriously looking into re-joining the same dojo I belonged to in my adolescence, Aikido of Madison. I had just gotten a new job as a meat and deli clerk and could now afford to pay the monthly dues. Even though I wasn’t a complete newbie, I still had to watch one class just to make sure this was what I wanted to do. I didn’t officially start until June and am I glad I did.
One Sunday in either late June or early July, I don’t remember which, I had an incident at work that made me realize just how much I needed Aikido. It was a busy Sunday, and I didn’t get a chance to take a break to eat. That’s six hours without food. A little too long. This made me grumpy and not exactly cooperative. In fact, ten minutes before my shift ended I was trying to slice some roast beef to eat, but customers kept coming up to the counter to buy things.
Thinking customer comes first, I kept leaving the roast beef in the slicer to go help them. That’s not the case (pun intended). A senior employee kept trying to wrap the meat and put it back in the case so flies would not get at it. After some back and froth of me taking it out and him putting it back, I got frustrated and charged at him to grab the roast beef. Not the smartest move, but all my stomach cared about was getting some food. Now I know you put the lunchmeat back in the case right after you slice it and that going six hours without food is not good.
Upon further reflection, I realized how important Aikido was to me. I needed a more appropriate outlet for that kind of energy. Since I’ve started regularly going to Aikido classes I’ve noticed I feel lighter and calmer than if I don’t get to class. I try to get to class at least twice a week, sometimes three, but I’m still not sure as to what the upper limit should be. Don’t want this to turn into chronic cardio and get burnt out now do we?
This brings me quite nicely to my next point. Having checked out The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba from the library, it talks extensively about how the center or core of one’s being is the belly and that all energy or Ki should flow from there. With all the research, I’ve done in the past year and a half on diet and exercise, particularly that on the importance of a healthy gut, I had an epiphany. The scientific evidence for O-Sensei’s and many other martial arts masters’ teachings is starting to present itself.
Finding and having a strong core or center is essential to practicing Aikido or any martial art. I believe this applies not only to external organs, but to the internal organs as well. In other words, it’s not just about having strong muscles, but a healthy digestive track. There is an enormous amount of evidence suggesting that digestive health plays a much larger role in overall well being than previously thought. The gut is considered by many scientists to be a second brain. In fact, there are more serotonin receptors in your belly than your brain. Chris Kresser at chriskresser.com has written extensively on the subject.
That being said, if I am understanding the context correctly, your gut is your center, so you’d better make sure it’s healthy. For me, that’s where Paleo/Primal eating comes into play. Eating only real food, not the processed crap that crowds most grocery stores, that’s the food around the edges of the store: the produce, meat, eggs and full-fat dairy (if you can tolerate it).
Here’s the kicker for most: no grains. Yep, you heard me right. While, kicking the added sugar and processed foods makes sense, many don’t understand that despite what we’ve been led to believe grains, even the “whole” grains are actually what I call “poisonous food-like substances”.
If having strong core or center is imperative to good Aikido practice, why should anyone stuff themselves with the digestive track eroding anti-nutrients found in grains, legumes and to a lesser extent nuts, dairy, and nightshades? We are talking about lectins and phytates. I’ll start with lectins. Lectins are particles that attack the villi or lining of the small intestine, making nutrients harder to absorb. Mark Sisson at marksdailyapple.com has an excellent article on the subject: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/lectins/#axzz22PZewESx
On to phytates or phytic acid. These little buggers bind to nutrients also making them harder or near impossible to absorb. Kind of hard to have a strong center if your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs, isn’t it?
As an example, on my birthday, a week and a half ago, I went down a little hard on the mat and scraped my elbow. Funny thing is, I don’t remember any blood and the wound had scabbed over by the end of class. There’s no way, this could have happened had I not been eating a mostly Paleo/Primal lifestyle and therefore having stronger center.
-Sayonara
Friday, June 8, 2012
A Little Hard Re-boot
After listening to Dean Dwyer's "Make Shift Happen" podcasts and reading his book of the same name, I believe I may be in need of a "Hard Re-boot". No, I take that back, I AM in need of a hard re-boot. After trying Tim Ferris's "Slow-Carb Diet" for a little over a week, I don't think it's for me. I never did add any legume's but I can't help but wonder if having a "cheat" day mentality had something to do with my Seattle's Chocolates Dark Chocolate Coconut Marcoon Truffle bar slip up yesterday. That and I don't really like how I felt after eating so much food during my "cheat day" on Ferris's diet. Granted I ate two small pieces of cake, ice cream and 3 bite size bars (cereal grains and dairy, yuck!) at this graduation party Sunday, just because I thought I could thanks to "cheat day". Yeah, feeling like shit for most of the ride back home, not fun.
I do, however, need to come up with a system of when and how much fruit I can have. I've managed to only have any fruit on Sunday 6-3 after stopping a daily green tipped banana from Balanced BItes' 21 Day Sugar Detox on May 26th. Through doing detox, I've learned that daily banana's even if that's all the fruit I have that day, is NOT good for my energy and feeling satisfied for four or five hours at a time. When I ate that banana each morning, I would crash two or three hours later and need a mid-morning nap.
I've also learned that I can't have dark chocolate truffle bars or more likely chocolate in general because it just brings back the phelm I used to get when I ate something my body had an autoimmune reaction to. Looks like Chris Kresser was right about chocolate cross-reacting with gluten. The dairy in the bars don't help either. Definitely can NOT do dairy period except ghee or clarified butter.
I do know that I feel less inflamed when I don't consume chocolate, dairy, legumes, or cereal grains. And, it doesn't matter if the chocolate's dark or not. Without it, I feel better. End of story and that's what I need to remember every time I think about have some. It's looking like my body isn't very forgiving in terms of what I can eat after all.
Back to protocols for consuming fruit. One day a week (ala "Slow Carb-Diet") seems like too little to me and could possibly lead to large amounts of fructose being eaten all at once. Not good for the adrenal glands or your liver. That being said, two or three times a week seems a more appropriate starting rule of thumb.
Now, even if I limit my fruit to two or three times a week, I still need to set specific days and the amount I'm allowing my self to have. Can't be going nuts on fruit those days. Actually, let's stick with three days (it seems to be the magic number).
Let's see, how about one banana or 2 cups of berries or cantaloupe. So, that's one or two servings on those days. That could be one banana or 1 cup of berries/1 cup cantaloupe or 2 cups of either berries or cantaloupe.
As for the days, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday sounds like a good starting point. Oh, and one important rule, the fruit can NOT be part of breakfast. When I had fruit for breakfast in the past, I tend to be hungrier through out the day.
I do, however, need to come up with a system of when and how much fruit I can have. I've managed to only have any fruit on Sunday 6-3 after stopping a daily green tipped banana from Balanced BItes' 21 Day Sugar Detox on May 26th. Through doing detox, I've learned that daily banana's even if that's all the fruit I have that day, is NOT good for my energy and feeling satisfied for four or five hours at a time. When I ate that banana each morning, I would crash two or three hours later and need a mid-morning nap.
I've also learned that I can't have dark chocolate truffle bars or more likely chocolate in general because it just brings back the phelm I used to get when I ate something my body had an autoimmune reaction to. Looks like Chris Kresser was right about chocolate cross-reacting with gluten. The dairy in the bars don't help either. Definitely can NOT do dairy period except ghee or clarified butter.
I do know that I feel less inflamed when I don't consume chocolate, dairy, legumes, or cereal grains. And, it doesn't matter if the chocolate's dark or not. Without it, I feel better. End of story and that's what I need to remember every time I think about have some. It's looking like my body isn't very forgiving in terms of what I can eat after all.
Back to protocols for consuming fruit. One day a week (ala "Slow Carb-Diet") seems like too little to me and could possibly lead to large amounts of fructose being eaten all at once. Not good for the adrenal glands or your liver. That being said, two or three times a week seems a more appropriate starting rule of thumb.
Now, even if I limit my fruit to two or three times a week, I still need to set specific days and the amount I'm allowing my self to have. Can't be going nuts on fruit those days. Actually, let's stick with three days (it seems to be the magic number).
Let's see, how about one banana or 2 cups of berries or cantaloupe. So, that's one or two servings on those days. That could be one banana or 1 cup of berries/1 cup cantaloupe or 2 cups of either berries or cantaloupe.
As for the days, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday sounds like a good starting point. Oh, and one important rule, the fruit can NOT be part of breakfast. When I had fruit for breakfast in the past, I tend to be hungrier through out the day.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Getting back on track
I know I haven't posted in awhile and I feel I need to. I've had a lot of new stress in my life as of late and it's been a struggle to stray on the Primal/Paleo bandwagon. It came to a head last Wensday and I had two Cadbury eggs and a whole Dove 70% dark chocolate bar. And, this straying hasn't quite stopped yet. It's not really the gluten that's creeping back in, but the chocolate and way too much of it. Last Thursday I had around 10 Cadbury eggs, some Russell Stover dark chocolate eggs and a dark chocolate coconut bunny. I've been trying to limit the amount of chocolate I'm eat for the past week to two pieces of dark chocolate a day and haven't been successful. Like today, I was at the mall and walked past a chocolate shop, Fannie May's to be exact and saw they had some dark chocolate coco balls. Couldn't resist them and went a head and bought some.
I need to make a commitment to going Primal/Paleo again. As in not as much dark chocolate and NO sweets like Cadbury eegs, coco balls, etc. Now, that I've "converted" two of my aunts, it will hopefully be easier and I will definitely be getting on the scale again. Multiply levels of accountability I've heard help in making habits stick so, here is one of those levels!
Back on track, starting now!
Sayonara!
I need to make a commitment to going Primal/Paleo again. As in not as much dark chocolate and NO sweets like Cadbury eegs, coco balls, etc. Now, that I've "converted" two of my aunts, it will hopefully be easier and I will definitely be getting on the scale again. Multiply levels of accountability I've heard help in making habits stick so, here is one of those levels!
Back on track, starting now!
Sayonara!
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Change in Plans
If you may recall, I'm supposed to be doing gettinstronger.org's Deconditioning Diet. Well, guess what? I have decided to discontinue it. It was getting to time consuming and I think I was becoming a little to obsessed with food as a result of starting the craving log(which I haven't used in several weeks). I just wasn't liking how this "diet" was making me feel and it took me away from one of the original reasons I went "Primal" in the first place; learning to really listen to and be in tune with my body and not always be obsessing over food. Just eating when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full, and what my body's supposed to eat. What it's really telling me it wants.
I had better luck not being so hungry simply following the Primal Blueprint way of eating than with this Deconditioning Diet! So, I think it's time to return to the basics of a Primal/Paleo lifestyle with a few tweeks (thanks to Healthy Skeptic's Chris Kresser to hopefully clear up my skin issues).
There's a blog post (more of a podcast, really) on his website about clearing up skin conditions by healing your gut. It's a rather good post which talks at length about the brain-gut-skin axis and the importance of having a healthy gut lining and flora. Did you know that the is considered by many scientists to be like a second brain? 80% of your serotonin receptors are in your gut, not your brai!
Anyways, back to the reason I brought this up in the first place, my eczema. In this podcast, Kresser has what he calls his "Gut Healing Protocol". It's basically a Paleo/Primal with no dairy, nightshades, FODMAP foods, minimal insoluble fiber, and lots of choline rich foods (bone broth in particular). I think the Paleo part is pretty self-explanatory. It's been well documented that eating grains with their anti-nutrients that attack the lining of the small intestine and lock onto nutrients making them harder to absorb, can not be good for one's digestive health. Also, eating processed foods and too many unnatural simple sugars is also not good for ones health (diabetes, etc.),
No diary makes sense for me because of the lactose and casein issues I have. The only exception on this rule is Ghee or clarified butter. For those who don't know how wonderful or what ghee is, it's butter with all the lactose and casein removed. I recently got some and have been using it to help my coconut oil last longer. No nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) also make sense because of the small amounts of neurotoxins that can build up.
However, FODMAP was an acronym I'd never heard of until I listned to this podcast abd whose meaning escapes me at the moment. But, apparently fruits and vegetables with excessive fructose, fructans (still don't really understand what those are), and polypols can cause gut problems for some. We shall see if such is the case for me.
Another thing I've started to notice is that I'm being increasingly drawn to a more strict Paleo diet. I'ver been following (for the most part) Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint", a less strict version of the Paleo diet, for almost a year and it has helped me out a lot with loosing 85 pounds and keeping it off.
However, some skin issues have come up, mainly ezcema that I'm wondering if a more strict Paleo diet will help cure. I've gotten a steroid cream from the doc which I use twice a day and I also use a moisturizing lotion from Kiss My Face once a day. My ezcema has improved quite a bit since using these, but I can't help but wonder if cruching down on my diet hasn't helped as well.
I hope things continue to improve and clear up over the coming months and that I can move towards an even healthier lifestyle with this switch to a Paleo, as opposed to "Prima" diet.
Sayonara
I had better luck not being so hungry simply following the Primal Blueprint way of eating than with this Deconditioning Diet! So, I think it's time to return to the basics of a Primal/Paleo lifestyle with a few tweeks (thanks to Healthy Skeptic's Chris Kresser to hopefully clear up my skin issues).
There's a blog post (more of a podcast, really) on his website about clearing up skin conditions by healing your gut. It's a rather good post which talks at length about the brain-gut-skin axis and the importance of having a healthy gut lining and flora. Did you know that the is considered by many scientists to be like a second brain? 80% of your serotonin receptors are in your gut, not your brai!
Anyways, back to the reason I brought this up in the first place, my eczema. In this podcast, Kresser has what he calls his "Gut Healing Protocol". It's basically a Paleo/Primal with no dairy, nightshades, FODMAP foods, minimal insoluble fiber, and lots of choline rich foods (bone broth in particular). I think the Paleo part is pretty self-explanatory. It's been well documented that eating grains with their anti-nutrients that attack the lining of the small intestine and lock onto nutrients making them harder to absorb, can not be good for one's digestive health. Also, eating processed foods and too many unnatural simple sugars is also not good for ones health (diabetes, etc.),
No diary makes sense for me because of the lactose and casein issues I have. The only exception on this rule is Ghee or clarified butter. For those who don't know how wonderful or what ghee is, it's butter with all the lactose and casein removed. I recently got some and have been using it to help my coconut oil last longer. No nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) also make sense because of the small amounts of neurotoxins that can build up.
However, FODMAP was an acronym I'd never heard of until I listned to this podcast abd whose meaning escapes me at the moment. But, apparently fruits and vegetables with excessive fructose, fructans (still don't really understand what those are), and polypols can cause gut problems for some. We shall see if such is the case for me.
Another thing I've started to notice is that I'm being increasingly drawn to a more strict Paleo diet. I'ver been following (for the most part) Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint", a less strict version of the Paleo diet, for almost a year and it has helped me out a lot with loosing 85 pounds and keeping it off.
However, some skin issues have come up, mainly ezcema that I'm wondering if a more strict Paleo diet will help cure. I've gotten a steroid cream from the doc which I use twice a day and I also use a moisturizing lotion from Kiss My Face once a day. My ezcema has improved quite a bit since using these, but I can't help but wonder if cruching down on my diet hasn't helped as well.
I hope things continue to improve and clear up over the coming months and that I can move towards an even healthier lifestyle with this switch to a Paleo, as opposed to "Prima" diet.
Sayonara
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Decondition Diet: An Update
A couple of nights ago, I had a craving for a 72% cocoa dark chocolate bar with peppermint bites and completely craved. Ate the whole damn thing (41 g of carbs) in one sitting! I didn't even like it very much yet I continued to chomp until the bar was gone. What the hell? What cues set this off? Was I bored because I had to wait outside for the bus? Disappointed because I didn't have enough money to buy a book on writing I wanted at Barnes & Nobles or was it a food "reward" for having actually lost 2 lbs since I last weighed myself?
More than likely, this chain of events got set into motion by a combination of all of the things mentioned above. After all what leads to a craving is often more complex then people realize. And, if you want to deal with one, you've got to look at ALL the cues involved. Most people don't. They simply look at the food itself (in my case that dark chocolate bar) and that usually doesn't work in the long term. Sights, sounds, smells and even hormones play just as big a role. Just eliminating whatever is being craved may work for awhile, but expose one little trigger and that craving might come back full force!
This is why it's important to look at the big picture and deal with everything that goes on during an "episode". I'm hoping the Deconditioning Diet talked about in my previous post will help me do just that. Hence, why I created a Craving Log-to help me notice patterns surround my episodes. One that I'm starting to notice is I tend to "crave" dark chocolate when I'm tired. This probably has more to do with the caffeine content and not so much being hungry (most of the time) and yes, I have caved several times this week. Actually that's the reason I'm extending phase 1 of the diet another week. Hopefully this will allow the cravings to dissipate enough that I feel comfortable moving on to phase 2. More on this later.
Sayonara
More than likely, this chain of events got set into motion by a combination of all of the things mentioned above. After all what leads to a craving is often more complex then people realize. And, if you want to deal with one, you've got to look at ALL the cues involved. Most people don't. They simply look at the food itself (in my case that dark chocolate bar) and that usually doesn't work in the long term. Sights, sounds, smells and even hormones play just as big a role. Just eliminating whatever is being craved may work for awhile, but expose one little trigger and that craving might come back full force!
This is why it's important to look at the big picture and deal with everything that goes on during an "episode". I'm hoping the Deconditioning Diet talked about in my previous post will help me do just that. Hence, why I created a Craving Log-to help me notice patterns surround my episodes. One that I'm starting to notice is I tend to "crave" dark chocolate when I'm tired. This probably has more to do with the caffeine content and not so much being hungry (most of the time) and yes, I have caved several times this week. Actually that's the reason I'm extending phase 1 of the diet another week. Hopefully this will allow the cravings to dissipate enough that I feel comfortable moving on to phase 2. More on this later.
Sayonara
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Hormesis, Gettingstronger.org and The Deconditioning Diet
Hormesis, ever heard of it? Probably not. I'd never heard of it until I listened to the latest podcast at robbwolf.com. For those who don't know, Robb Wolf is the renouned author of The Paleo Solution.
The guest of this podcast talked about a website called gettingstronger.org and it's philosophy of "hormesis". Hormesis, as far as I understand it, is the idea that increasing one's exposuer to stressor's slowly over time, can in fact re-wire pathways in the brain and rest of the body to make us stronger. Ironically enough, if you have read my last blog post, I was working on not being so reactive towards one of my bosses. This website has the potential to provide me with a way to do that through applying the pricipals of hormesis.
This brings me to my next topic. gettingstronger.org's "Deconditioning Diet". This diet is designed to help eliminate or control cravings and put a stop to so-called "emotional eating"- something I've learned I still do from time to time, usually during periods of high stress. And yes, even after doing Primal Blueprint for as long as I have, I still get cravings. What I crave has shifted from largely sweets to things like hard-boiled eggs or prime ribe, but that intense "need" for some sort of food is still there and I do not wish to be controlled by this.
So, as of today, I am doing a deconditioning diet. Bye-bye cookies, fudge, and all the other crap foods from the holidays; welcome, wholsome real foods and freedom from cravings (at least I hope).
The first "phase" of the diet is involves just following a low-carb diet iwth three scheduled meals and no snacking for at least a week. This is were I'll be starting since I did fall off the Primal wagon this weekend. Even though, I'll be following Primal Blueprint again, I will be leaving out more foods than usual. Eggs will be one of these food. I know I've loved the eggs I make for breakfast, but the lictins in them may still be causing me digestive problems.
The last part of phase one is making a craving log where you note all your cravings: the time and date. nature of the craving (general hunger or a specific food) and speculate what could have caused the craving. I've already used mine twice today.
That being said, let's get down to business! Updates to come in the future.
Sayonara!
The guest of this podcast talked about a website called gettingstronger.org and it's philosophy of "hormesis". Hormesis, as far as I understand it, is the idea that increasing one's exposuer to stressor's slowly over time, can in fact re-wire pathways in the brain and rest of the body to make us stronger. Ironically enough, if you have read my last blog post, I was working on not being so reactive towards one of my bosses. This website has the potential to provide me with a way to do that through applying the pricipals of hormesis.
This brings me to my next topic. gettingstronger.org's "Deconditioning Diet". This diet is designed to help eliminate or control cravings and put a stop to so-called "emotional eating"- something I've learned I still do from time to time, usually during periods of high stress. And yes, even after doing Primal Blueprint for as long as I have, I still get cravings. What I crave has shifted from largely sweets to things like hard-boiled eggs or prime ribe, but that intense "need" for some sort of food is still there and I do not wish to be controlled by this.
So, as of today, I am doing a deconditioning diet. Bye-bye cookies, fudge, and all the other crap foods from the holidays; welcome, wholsome real foods and freedom from cravings (at least I hope).
The first "phase" of the diet is involves just following a low-carb diet iwth three scheduled meals and no snacking for at least a week. This is were I'll be starting since I did fall off the Primal wagon this weekend. Even though, I'll be following Primal Blueprint again, I will be leaving out more foods than usual. Eggs will be one of these food. I know I've loved the eggs I make for breakfast, but the lictins in them may still be causing me digestive problems.
The last part of phase one is making a craving log where you note all your cravings: the time and date. nature of the craving (general hunger or a specific food) and speculate what could have caused the craving. I've already used mine twice today.
That being said, let's get down to business! Updates to come in the future.
Sayonara!
Monday, December 19, 2011
More Tweaking
I've been doing some tweaking with my diet as of late. After doing some further research, I decided to add more "safe starches", as The Perfect Health Diet calls them. Their blog/website has some really good resources and PHD is very similiar to the Primal Blueprint/Paleo way of eating, but with more starches. These include, white potatoes (without the skin), sweet potatoes (for now), white rice, tapioca, and others that I can't remember at the moment.
One blog post of theirs talked the body's immune response to fungal infections being dependant on glucose levels, and how very-low or low carb dieters can be prone to them. Having read this blog and that white potatoes digest into only glucose, while sweet potatoes digest into a combination of glucose and fructose (something we want to limit our consumption of), I decided to try adding one white potato a day to my meal plans to help fight the fungal infection on my legs. I've also started putting coconut oil on the effected area twice a day as I've read coconut is a natural anti-fungal. It seems to be helping, abate, at a slow pace. The effected areas have not got worse or spread, but not getting better as quickly as I'd hoped.
Now, this could be the safe starch I'm using. Potatoes are also nightshades, plants that need shade to grow and have low levels of neurotoxins in them. I've notices red spots on my right arm recently and am wondering if they might be a delayed allergic reaction to the increase in potato consumption. I only have three left, so I will finish those off and switch to white rice for 30 days to see if the spots go away,
On another note, I've discovered that dark chocolate may be causing me indigestion. I ate only half a bar of Trader Joes 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate bar yesterday morning around 9:00 am, A half an hour later, yep you guessed it- indigestion. Looks like I'm going to have to cut out dark chocolate for awhile. So much for that Pound Plus 72% Cocoa bar I bought! Oh well, it's not that big a deal. I needed to cut down on bother the amount and how often I eat it anyways.
That means I need to find other ways to manage my stress levels, particular the stress coming from one of my jobs and dark chocolate has become a bit of a "comfort" food for me since going Primal. The owner of the store and I just don't quite see eye to eye and he seems to be one of those people who is always right and everyone else is wrong. I know he's the owner and there's really nothing I can do about it, yet he always seems to get some sort of reaction out of me.
I'm working on not being so reactive to his craziness and finding another job. One where I get the money I earn on time, a schedule more than a day or two in advance, and isn't nearly as stressful. The stress from this job will often add to the temptation to eat thing that are not good for me or eat more than I need to or when I'm not even hungry. This usually results in weight gain or stalled weight loss and feeling like shit/lower energy levels for the next day or two. Not something I want since I've not reached my goal weight (I've got 20ish more lbs to loose) and I want to feel healthy with lots of energy to get through each day.
I hope to get through the holidays without consuming too much food. We shall see how I do.
Sayonara
One blog post of theirs talked the body's immune response to fungal infections being dependant on glucose levels, and how very-low or low carb dieters can be prone to them. Having read this blog and that white potatoes digest into only glucose, while sweet potatoes digest into a combination of glucose and fructose (something we want to limit our consumption of), I decided to try adding one white potato a day to my meal plans to help fight the fungal infection on my legs. I've also started putting coconut oil on the effected area twice a day as I've read coconut is a natural anti-fungal. It seems to be helping, abate, at a slow pace. The effected areas have not got worse or spread, but not getting better as quickly as I'd hoped.
Now, this could be the safe starch I'm using. Potatoes are also nightshades, plants that need shade to grow and have low levels of neurotoxins in them. I've notices red spots on my right arm recently and am wondering if they might be a delayed allergic reaction to the increase in potato consumption. I only have three left, so I will finish those off and switch to white rice for 30 days to see if the spots go away,
On another note, I've discovered that dark chocolate may be causing me indigestion. I ate only half a bar of Trader Joes 72% Cocoa Dark Chocolate bar yesterday morning around 9:00 am, A half an hour later, yep you guessed it- indigestion. Looks like I'm going to have to cut out dark chocolate for awhile. So much for that Pound Plus 72% Cocoa bar I bought! Oh well, it's not that big a deal. I needed to cut down on bother the amount and how often I eat it anyways.
That means I need to find other ways to manage my stress levels, particular the stress coming from one of my jobs and dark chocolate has become a bit of a "comfort" food for me since going Primal. The owner of the store and I just don't quite see eye to eye and he seems to be one of those people who is always right and everyone else is wrong. I know he's the owner and there's really nothing I can do about it, yet he always seems to get some sort of reaction out of me.
I'm working on not being so reactive to his craziness and finding another job. One where I get the money I earn on time, a schedule more than a day or two in advance, and isn't nearly as stressful. The stress from this job will often add to the temptation to eat thing that are not good for me or eat more than I need to or when I'm not even hungry. This usually results in weight gain or stalled weight loss and feeling like shit/lower energy levels for the next day or two. Not something I want since I've not reached my goal weight (I've got 20ish more lbs to loose) and I want to feel healthy with lots of energy to get through each day.
I hope to get through the holidays without consuming too much food. We shall see how I do.
Sayonara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)