112. Food Diary

Been a bit slack as I've been inundated with work. Must try harder! After all this supposed to be a daily Food Diary blog.

Apple Juice
Porridge
Peach

Decaf Coffee

Plain rice cake

Banana
Cottage cheese and flax oil with Ryvita

Fennel tea

Apple
Baked potato with goats cheese

111. My Daily Supplements

Multivitamins with iron. These are a bit more expensive than your ordinary multivitamins as they contain a lot more, but I get them in bulk so I do ok.

Cod liver oil. Can’t take general ‘fish oil’ as I’m allergic to mackerel – with ‘dire’ consequences!

Glucosamine. Anything less than 1000mg a day won’t be effective in combatting joint pain.

Concentrated Dandelion tincture – a few drops in water daily to repair everyday damage to the liver. Dandelion tea won’t provide you with nearly enough. I take strong painkillers which sadly I cannot manage without. Paracetamol is damaging to the liver over a long time, so heaven knows what my strong painkillers are doing to my body. Drinkers of alcohol should definitely take this.

Aloe Vera juice to repair all organs in the body. It has amazing healing qualities, but you have to buy the right type of stuff. It’s great for damaged skin too – you can rub it directly on sunburnt skin.

Flax oil, as you know is included in my diet every day. This is to maintain all cells and prevent cancer and many other horrible illnesses. I take it with cottage cheese as an expert told me these are the best natural defenses against cancer. See my old post about it Here.

Tea Tree oil - taken externally only, for my spots. If it’s good enough for peirced ears, it’s good enough for acne – it works great! The one I get is diluted with coconut oil. It’s too harsh otherwise. And it smells like a strong menthol, so I only put it on for an hour when I get up, then wash it off with baby lotion.

Evian water. Not all water is the same. Evian has the highest levels of all the good stuff (such as minerals, magnesium, etc) and the lowest of all the bad stuff. Bad stuff in water? Yes, chlorine aint too good for you, but it’s good for teeth, so it has to be in there. Tap water has phenominally high levels of chlorine in comparison. It depends where you live, but just stick to bottled water like Evian.

I used to have a water filter, and buy filter cartridges – but that’s no good because it strips out all the good stuff too. Bottled water companies DO have the highest profit margins of all soft drinks, but it’s still worth paying for in my opinion.

There are a lot more supplements I would be taking if I had more money. I take some others less frequently (to make them last!) which I will be writing about in more detail later on this blog.

But if you’re not sure which supplements can help you, go along to your health food shop, and chat to the staff. They’re trained well, and will be able to tell you what supplements will benefit you, that fit your budget.

110. Food Diary

Coffee

(Been weaning myself off caffeine altogether, so for the past two weeks I've been having half normal coffee and half decaf, making the ratio change slightly each day. Now it's 95% decaf, and 5% caffeine - You try measuring out 5% of a teaspoon full!)

Apple

Smoothie

Avacado

Baked potato and cottage cheese

Green Tea

Celery

2 rice cakes

Millet Pasta and minced pork with tomato sauce

cornflakes

109. Some Water Facts

Depression and fatigue are often symptoms of dehydration.
Our bodies are 55 – 75% water.
It is healthy to drink water with meals, as it aids the process of digestion (although you should still chew your food properly!)
A 2% reduction of water levels can lead to a 20% decrease in mental and physical performance.
Drinking water will get REDUCE water retention.
Water enables the body to metabolise fats much more effectively.
Dehydration may induce contractions in pregnant women.
Drinking plenty of water will prevent the skin from sagging.
We only get thirsty when our bodies are already dehydrated.
Children dehydrate more quickly than adults.
Water is the main food that the body needs.
When IRA campaigner Bobby Sands went on a hunger strike it took him him 66 days to die, meaning he must have drunk water, because a man cannot live for more than approximately 10 days without water.

108. Food Diary

Coffee

Porridge

Banana

Fruit smoothie

Baked Potato with goats cheese and mushrooms

Green Tea

apple

avacado and cottage cheese with flax oil and ryvita

2 plain rice cakes

cranberry juice

lots of water

107. Omelette Recipe

I've only just learned how to make omelettes! It's a disgrace I know, but now I'm hooked.

I always knew thwey had cheese and egg in, but I never knew you put the cheese in after the egg. No wonder mine turned out like glue!

Anyway, I made a lovely omelette with peppers, onion and mushrooms. It's easy!

Two eggs

Beat lightly only for 10 seconds

Heat 1 tblspn of olive oil in an 8 inch frying pan on high

Pour in egg,

Then add pepper, onion and mushrooms (I half pre-cooked these first)

Once egg no longer runny, pour grated cheese over one half

Lift blank half of omelette and fold over the cheese

Cook for a further 30 to 50 seconds to melt the cheese

Turn over and serve with tomatoes (I had peas, as I can't have tomatoes)

106. Food Diary

apple

porridge

banana

beetroot

baked potato and goats cheese

Dandelion tea

Went to mexican restaurant for a friend's birthday
Paella with chicken, king prawns, salmon and mussels

lots of apple juice

105. Food Diary

I’ve been away and done quite well considering, but haven’t been able to stick strictly to my usual diet, as I’ve eaten quite a bit of pasta.

I was also invited out to dinner where I had a rich pudding and white wine. I only had two sips of wine, and my stomach was in a lot of pain. I had to drink water after that. I didn’t tell my hosts I was in pain as they had gone to a lot of trouble – I just said I can’t noramlly drink it because of my acid reflux.

But I didn’t think I’d be affected quite so badly after only two sips. I fear I may have stomach and intestinal ulcers, but plan to cure myself through healthy eating.

I did OK today except for the noodles

Porridge

Apple

Decaf Coffee

Apple and blackberry juice

Green Tea

cottage cheese flax oil and 2x Ryvita

Half Red Pepper

Banana

noodles, chicken and mixed veg

Dandelion tea

104. Wheat Info Part 4

ALTERNATIVE FOODS YOU CAN EAT

BREADS: Rice cakes, ryvita, oatcakes, 100% rye bread, wheat free bread, corn bread, pumpernickel and corn crisp breads, and gluten free breads and crackers.
FLOURS: Corn flour, maize meal, polenta, barley flour, rye flour, rice four, potato flour,
soya flour, buckwheat flour, gram (chickpea) flour, and stamp collection multi-purpose flour.
Potassium bicarbonate: wheat free baking powder.
barley flakes, rye flakes, buckwheat flakes, tapioca flakes, and gluten free muesli.
PASTA: Corn pasta, rice pasta, rye pasta, buckwheat pasta, and rice noodles.
GRAINS: Brown rice is higher in fibre and more nutritious, however white rice is suitable. Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and tapioca, make good alternative grains.
CONDIMENTS: Apple cider vinegar, tamari soy sauce, miso, gluten free gravy mix, stock
cubes, ketchup and sauces

103. Wheat Info Part 3

COMMON WHEAT FOODS TO AVOID

All wheat flours, wholemeal, granary, and plain white flour.
Baking powder.
Most bread, cakes, and pastries.
Wheat based breakfast cereals, like muesli, bran, bran flakes, bran sticks, wheat germ, weetabix, and shredded wheat.
All pasta.
Cous cous, semolina, and bulgar wheat.
Any convenience foods containing wheat starch (look out for modified starch)

Some sauces contain wheat, such as mustards, malt vinegar, soy sauce, and tomato ketchup, stock and gravy mixes.
Sausages and burgers often contain wheat rusk, as filling agents.
Some drinking chocolate and malted drinks.
Wheat based alcohols, such as whiskey, gin, larger, and beer.
anything in batter, or with a crumble topping.

102. Wheat Info Part 2

Wheat also has high levels of gluten, which is a protein found naturally in wheat and other grains.
Gluten is a sticky glue-like substance, and in our digestive tracts this substance can interfere with the digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Also because gluten is so sticky and difficult to digest, it can encourage the growth of unfriendly bacteria's such as Candida albicans. A lot of people with an intolerance to wheat and gluten can benefit from an anti candida diet that cuts out sugar and yeast as well as wheat and gluten.

101. Wheat Info Part 1

Wheat is generally considered a nutritious food, as it is rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc and iron, as well as having a high fibre content. This is why wheat is the most widely used cereal in the western world, and as a consequence for many individuals (including many who are totally unaware) wheat can actually be causing them problems.

Some symptoms of wheat intolerance are constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, flatulence, indigestion, lethargy, irritability and depression. Wheat can also aggravate other diseases such as arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, and irritable bowel syndrome. It also seems to have a suppressive action on the liver, so even people who appear to tolerate it well, can slow down the rate at which they eliminate toxins, by eating too much wheat.

100. Addicted To Food

My friend has been diagnosed with an eating disorder – she’s addicted to food. Well millions of people are, but she is currently having CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to combat it.

She even tried those hoodia gordonii tablets that are supposed to be appetite suppressants, and she said they worked, but sadly, as she is addicted, she still continued to eat even when she was full up, so the tablets did not stop her eating – just tell her she was full sooner!

Good Luck with the CBT Dawn!

99. Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is delicious, and with the absence of wheat, won’t make you skin itch!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of sorghum flour - you can get this from here: www.twinvalleymills.com
1/2 cup of cocoa (eg: Hershey's)
1 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 - 1 tsp of xanthum gum
1/2 cup of hot water
1/2 cup of oil
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
2 tsp of vanilla

Directions:
Mix together the dry ingredients
Add the wet ingredients
Grease and flour an 8" x 8" cake tin
Bake at 350° for approx 30 minutes
You can decorate with frosting or cut into layers for a layer cake

98. Food Diary

Porridge

Coffee

Apple juice

Half a raw Green Pepper

Green Tea

Cottage cheese flax oil 2 x Ryvita

Beetroot

Salmon and millet pasta with broccoli

Green tea

Cornflakes

97. Coffee With All Milk?

All milk coffee is an extreme luxury and you should try to wean yourself off these, but only if you want to have blood, heart and arteries in tip top condition. Why? To reduce, heart disease and strokes just for starters. You could add a significant number of years to your life if you do this.

If you think it’s too big a change, it’s a lot harder to stop taking sugar in coffee, than it is to change from milk to water. Once you’ve got used to it, you’ll actually taste the fat in milk.

If you must have milk, just put a small amount in, and have skimmed milk, preferably goats’ skimmed milk, or soya milk. Soya milk may make it curdle if the water is boiling hot. Cream is also a luxury, although it is a lot healthier than these ‘fake’ coffee accompanying products such as Coffee mate.

If you were to analyze the fat and sugar content of some high street coffee shop coffees, it would be healthier to eat a big piece of cake! – oh no! you have that TOO?!!

Try and limit these to say, one or two a week, so it doesn’t get out of control. It's a lot easier than you think to get into the healthier habit. Try it for two weeks and see.

96. Food Diary

Porridge

Coffee

Cranberry Juice

Apple

Small potato, small portion of lasagne

Green tea

Smoothie with pear, banana, summer fruits, apple and mango juice

Small potato, small portion of lasagne (again)

plain goats yoghurt

Cornflakes

95. Turkey Helps You Sleep

I often have trouble sleeping, and am trying to improve my sleep through healthy eating.

I’ve found that eating turkey in isloation can actually help you sleep! The way it works is: Turkey contains tryptophan, which helps to make serotonin.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, that sends messages between nerve cells and causes you to feel sleepy.

However, L-tryptophan doesn't act on the brain unless you eat it on an empty stomach with no other protein present, so remember to keep some turkey in the refrigerator for those sleepless nights.