Elimination Challenge

I used to think dietary challenges or cleanses were just a trendy way to lose a pound or two. Although that was a while ago, I have to admit I've changed! I think there is always something to learn about our bodies and how they work, and by eliminating items from our system for a set period of time there is always something to gain. I did a 14 day detox last year with Wynt. This year my elimination challenge was one I created, which I think is pretty important to success. Having some flexibility going into any elimination is important. Meaning it is better to account for 1/2 cup brown rice twice per week than "cheat" on pizza once during the challenge. I firmly believe that an elimination diet works best when completed as close to 100% as possible. I work with kids and adults in supporting them in elimination diets, and my role is to customize within reason. That means prior to starting the change rules are set. That means if there is a birthday party in the middle of your month elimination diet you need a plan for it before you are at the party. This is really key.

Also I see a lot of people who "cheat" and have pizza or ice cream. The problem I see with this is twofold. First, I never use the word cheat for seriousness. I use the words "off plan" especially with kids. We don't want them to think they are cheaters for eating pizza! That is the wrong message. The second part is that those foods are mixed foods of the potential offenders, for example pizza has wheat, dairy, and likely sugar in the tomato sauce. Ice cream has sugar and dairy. If we feel icky after eating it it's hard to tell who the culprit was. Off plan foods are not an option. If there is a holiday or a celebration, plan that into your elimination. Literally plan what you are going to do before you start, even if it is weeks ahead. That way there is no fudging! Pun intended.

During these last few weeks I have politely declined mimosas, glasses of wine, and dinner at family events. I have brought my own meals and dishes when dining anywhere else. I have found this isn't too hard to make work as most people eat a vegetable with dinner. I would bring an avocado, tuna, and another large salad.

Another important thing to remember is to have at least a week of transition if the proposed challenge is very different from your way of eating. This is what I do all day, and how I eat most of the time anyway, so I didn't have any transition period besides grocery shopping. I usually recommend at least a week to purchase new foods, try new foods/recipes, and make sure that you like them! Going hungry is not an option!

I am on my last day of my personal challenge. I do feel a sense of accomplishment as I stayed on plan and have felt some good changes.

Here's what I chose to avoid:
Dairy
Wheat
Processed grains
Daily coffee or caffeine (had coffee 3-4 times in 3 weeks)
Alcohol
Chocolate
Sugar besides occasional honey or maple syrup (occasional being once per week)

I chose to include whole grains like quinoa, brown rice or oatmeal, but sparingly, meaning 1/2 cup to 1 cup but not daily.

Why do this? Many of my clients follow some sort of elimination diet for 2-12 weeks in order to repair their gut, decrease inflammation, stop the bombardment to their intestines of potential IgG positive triggers (meaning foods that create an immune response, usually cows milk protein, wheat, soy, corn, and egg). The idea is that you avoid the triggers for immune response, thus decreasing the inflow of constant triggers (like the standard american diet), and then inflammation decreases, and then, after a certain period of time, foods are reintroduced, one by one, and then, it is narrowed down if there is truly an immune reaction to the specific food, or was there just some imbalance in the gut that was propelled by having offending foods constantly going down the hatch?

I chose these particular items as I was drinking more than I knew my body wanted me to, especially through the holidays. Almost every night, a glass or two, was usual. 90% of my intake is stellar, I love eating healthy. But who doesn't love corn chips? Or chocolate? Even every day! I wanted a break, a challenge. NO BITES OF ANY OFF PLAN FOODS! I stuck to my guns and it has been really amazing. So good to set goals and boundaries and stick to them. I did smell a friends glass of zinfandel, but other than that that was the close I came.

Also, I enjoy doing challenges like this because there is always something to learn! It gives me more credibility when I'm in the office, nodding at the parent who is looking at me like deer in the headlights.

This challenge I learned a lot. I learned that a new good quality extra virgin olive oil made my salads amazing. I had been using an unflavored one and for the last few weeks I used a lemon infused one from Winterhill. It was AMAZING and I took down the whole 8 ounce bottle over these 3 weeks.

In this time, I increased my frequency of epsom salt baths, increased my fish oil supplement, and hydration as able. I continued my regular intake of fermented foods, namely water kefir and sauerkraut. I continued exercising regularly. I lost 1-2 pounds and found that my nighttime weight wouldn't go up more than 1 pound. Usually my nighttime weight would increase 2+ pounds. I find this interesting with no specific explanation. My body fat % decreased 1%, I had less bloating in general, not that that was a huge problem, but maybe from 2 times per week to 1.

I felt and feel great most of the time, but I ususaly do! I did have 3 days where I felt yucky/low energy, which I think was propelled by fasting for some labwork, and then poor meal planning (even though I'm and RD doesn't mean all meals are perfectly planned out...) where I only had vegetables and nuts all day. I did about 5 days of grain free, where I felt okay but tired. Even just 1/2 cup of brown rice or oats felt like it gave my energy a shift in a day. But I'm not getting more than 4+ hours of consistent sleep in a row either.

Ok, enough about me! I want to hear if you've made any dietary changes this year so far! Or if you need any assistance in the future, feel free to comment:).

Here was a normal day:
Breakfast: roasted acorn squash with cinnamon, cashews, and turkey sausage
Snack: 1/2 banana and almond butter
Lunch: fennel apple salad with sunflower seed "cheese", tuna, and sauerkraut
Snack: hummus and vegetables
Dinner: chicken, roasted sweet potato, arugula
Snack: coconut almond milk (califia farms brand yum!), sunflower butter and an orange

(disclaimer: I do not spend time making my photos look great at this time. They are usually taken on my phone during a kitchen tornado)

Roasted acorn squash seeds

 cabbage for kraut

 kraut weighted down with stones

 fermented veggies too this time

My staple apple fennel salad with nut cheese and herbs

 any squash for breakfast- best with half a banana and a sausage on the side!

And that's how you eat 10 fruits/vegetables a day! By NOT eating the filler grains. I don't think grains are the worst thing ever but they displace an opportunity to eat phytonutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables. Think about it!

Destroy and Create

I joke that I can really destroy a kitchen. But if you know me well I am not joking! Some weeks are low on recipes, under 5, but some are at 15 at a high and it can get out of hand quickly! Here are some of the documented kitchen creations... not all inclusive...

I'm really into fermented foods right now, having almost all patients include them daily if possible. I love to be able to create my own anything, especially if I am asking clients to do the same. Gotta perfect a few things but I'm almost there!

Water kefir and grains

 Yummiest and easiest saurkraut

 Fermenting for 3 days

 Pre-frost garden finds

 Thanksgiving appetizer was a crunchy salad of grapes, celery, carrots, parsley, and a vegan ranch. The dressing tastes quite amazing but it has a lot of processed ingredients so I can't say it's a favorite from a health perspective. But from a tummy perspective it tastes really yummy! Belgian endive is such a great "cracker" if you want something lighter. It does have a bite though!

 Can't get enough zoodles...

 Farmstands were booming up until a couple of weeks ago. There is a pomegranate stand nearby which provided Ara and I many snacks and red lips!

 We do a lot of roasted vegetables and despite how many different kinds I roast Owen ONLY eats the potatoes. But a mama has to keep trying! The beet stars were only devoured by me but they had fun playing with their food.

 These dried persimmons were ridiculously good. I wish I had more persimmons, they were like candy. I sliced them thinly and dehydrated overnight around 135 and they were crisp. They were a tasty snack and we quickly ate up the 4 that I dried. I think we need to plant some more fruit trees. We battle the deer and frost so much that our newer trees struggle. The well established plum, cherry, and apple trees do really well, so that is good.

School snacks

Owen continues to have specific preferences... He has come a long way in the oral aversion department, and now is one of those kids who touches his face and mouth all the time... Ugh just in time for kindergarten:(. 

Being a dietitian I truly have let a lot go with Owen to first get him off of relying on tube feeding. Then with his gagging continuing he limits himself on trying new things. Then there is the "normal" kid aspect of all this as well. I'm super stoked to say he eats an awesome variety of proteins now! The big lacking area is fruit, so I'm always attempting to sneak it in somehow. 

I made these snacks and he enjoys them! They aren't fresh but I'll take what I can get!

He will eat dehydrated peach and Apple "chips" as well as plantain chips. Apple and pear are the only fresh fruits he will eat:(.

My second batch turned out great. My first batch of fruit snacks (this go around,... I made them about a year ago) stuck to the paper... I thought I used parchment but I used waxed paper... Let's just blame that one on sleep deprivation okay?

Cut, roll, and store in freezer! These have plums, pineapple, and strawberries- that's it! I was so happy to watch him eat it, and ask for it again when I sent it in his lunch. Baby steps! I'm guessing one fruit strip has about 1/4 cup of fruit- I'll take what I can get!!

SO LONG FEEDING TUBE!!!!!!!!!!!

This is going to be a long post with a lot of photos.
I am quite nostalgic. I want to remember every moment. I'm trying to figure out why, why I am so preoccupied with journalling, blogging, photo documenting my life (and others lives!), keeping lists, etc... I always thought it was to help me remember, which it does help, but I think it is really based on my love of reliving the good times, and celebrating making it through the hard times.

So, that being said, Owen got his feeding tube out this week.
You know, the one that I have been asked 23284594433 times when it was coming out? Thursday!

A little history...

Owen has always had his share of medical "bling" as we call it.

This  photo was the morning before his first open heart surgery, where his chest is without a scar! So weird, it doesn't look like him for that reason.

Above he was very dry (also known as on the dehydrated side to take it easier on his system post-op), so skinny, and that darn yellow tube we just couldn't ditch. But we didn't want to stay in the hospital to work on feeding, especially when his respiratory rate was over 100 (babies are fast but not that fast normally).

My boys getting some skin to skin with as little medical bling as possible.

Getting chubby mostly eating via tube.

His first halloween I actually yanked the tube out on accident.

And whenever that happened OF COURSE a photoshoot happened, complete with one really red cheek. Aunt Jac was over, Chris was at work, and it was my first time putting in the ng tube for real. And isn't that a sweet fall mama and pea pod??

IF the tube didn't get pulled out we needed to change sides to prevent skin breakdown every month. It still broke down.

c

We swaddled him for a very long time to prevent him from pulling it out at night. It helped until he could houdini out of the swaddle. We also had him in our bed until 4 months, in our room until 6 months, and then watched him like a hawk on the video monitor.

His skin breakdown always made for some extra red cheeks when he was hot. This was pre Glenn surgery (aka second heart surgery).

Red cheeked, handsome boy.

I just love this photo. Owen is snuggling on a teary daddy getting ready to go to OR.

Post op happy times with again, more medical bling.

The chub started to get serious here. This was one of the few photos with the IV pole and tube feeding pump in the shot. The wooden high chair was preferred as it was easy to hose off, no nooks and crannies or cloth. Because he would gag and spew a lot. Half of the feeds. At least.

I just couldn't handle him not eating by mouth and would give him things that I would give another kiddo, this chard he really loved to gnaw on when teething. I watched him close, and he didn't get any chunks off.

The chub was insane. The surgeon said after his first surgery to grow him big and we sure did. It looks like he was super obese but weight wise he gained a pound a month which is pretty normal to low end of normal. He was vertically challenged and rich in the cheek department.

I remember this day, I stopped at a nursery to get some plants. (go figure!) and he was in the jogger and after I paid and got back to the car he was waking up, rubbing his face, and rubbed it right out many inches... my hands weren't clean and I didn't feel right about shoving it back down in the middle of the lot so I pulled it out, loaded him up, and had a nice photo shoot on the deck.

There was always that feeling that he would eat better without the tube in. There was always the hope. But one time just wouldn't cut it. So back the tube went in the nose. This was a doozy to do on your own. The swaddle came in handy even though he would still struggle. Ideally it was a 3 person job, 2 would do and 1 would just have to do.

goofball

blurry but I would weigh this kid all the time. all the time. The infant scale is now in the shed, and our pediatrician gave his blessing with Arabelle to give it away! I still weigh her once a month though.

This was one of my favorite times, our first family trip to Mendocino. Just us 3! He even ate a little nibble of an ice cream cone (the cone part). We fed him while walking and he fell asleep while getting his feed.

Another scale pic

First birthday smile

First birthday family shot, what a year!

More interested in his plate than cake.

I would give him many things and watch closely, he would almost always put anything raw in his mouth, when out in the garden especially.

This photo was taken when we got home from having the gtube put in. The reason he had the darn nasogastric tube for so long was because no one wanted to operate on him with his Glenn circulation. His sats were low, and he wasn't super stable in their opinion. The Gtube proved amazing, as well as his fantastic OT Amy, as well as lots of effort from mom and dad. 

After a week on the gtube the gagging/spewing stopped with feeds.

After 2 months he was eating countable amounts of foods (100 calories)

He kept increasing his intake and at 2 years old we stopped using the gtube for food. It served it's purpose, and we are very very glad it is FINALLY out. 

Again no one wanted to remove it knowing he was having another surgery, knowing kids regress, and also with some continued sensory/gag issues with new foods. 

6 months post op, OUT!! Wahoo!

He was hilarious at the GI appt, first crying because he didn't want to go, then a total ham in the office. When his MD asked him what he eats he said "Blueberries, strawberries, bananas....." A TOTAL lie! I wish he would eat those things, but i think he has had 3 nibbles in his life of the first two, and no fresh banana ever!

Anyway, it's out, and hopefully it will close on it's own. It looks great now, hasn't leaked at all since the first day. I guess it can take 3 weeks to close but I would say it's close to being closed right now.

WAHOOO!!! Thumbs up!

10 Day Detox

I usually cringe at the idea of a cleanse. I think that is because professionally people come at me all the time with their ideas of cleanses, then I give my opinion and they do their cleanse anyway!  There are some really interesting challenges, cleanses, diets, fads, restrictive ways to detox, jump-start, or cleanse our bodies.

I have been wanting to do a challenge for a while but haven't wanted to affect my milk too much since Ara is quite into mama's milk. She has, however, the last 2 weeks cut back from 6-8 times per 24 hour period to 3-5. This is significant! I was a little sad for a while then I realized that she is setting the pace, and teaching me to trust the process. I'm not calculating anything with her, weighing her daily, or any of the crazy things I did in managing Owen's nutrition. So when she cut back I thought it would be a great time to do a metabolic detoxification.

Without running the risk of becoming boring I will sum it up.... We accumulate toxins in our body from our environment, food, chemicals, lotions, basically anything! Even if we eat a really clean and healthy diet our livers do a hard job getting rid of all of the things our body doesn't utilize. The plan I followed targeted specific nutrients to assist the liver in metabolizing toxins that may be stuck in the body. I also utilized 1/4 of the recommended meal replacement as it contains a lot of nutrients and components I didn't want my milk to be completely full of.

It was really a wonderful experience. I can say that now that I'm on day 9/10. I experienced a few unpleasant side effects, namely headaches and tiredness, especially for days 2-6. The headaches are supposedly side effects from the body mobilizing the toxins and working things out. I stopped coffee 3 days before and didn't have any side effect there but longing.  The last 3 nights I have had a lot of energy, and felt really pretty amazing!

What I haven't eaten in 10 days:
Refined sugar (other carbs from fruit were fine!)
Dairy
Wheat

Corn
Other Grains (other than rice)
Caffeine--- yes this means my morning cup of cherished beautiful magic potion  coffee.

After the following the plan you add in foods one at a time to see how your body reacts. 

Days 11-13

I added chocolate in the first day

Then Coffee and corn

Then soy and dairy the third day.

I did need to bring my food to a few social events but it all worked out. I realized that I already eat pretty clean but it is challenging to eat so plain & simple if relying on others. 

It's going great! If you're interested in doing a 10 day elimination diet/metabolic detox for a change, or a food allergy or sensitivity, keep me in mind:). 

Lots of cruciferous vegetables, even for breakfast some days! Roasted cauliflower is so yummy, we already eat it often. I would eat it every day if it didn't get little white kernels everywhere! Any ideas to stop that? Oh well it's so good it's always in the cart anyway. 

My favorite breakfast was pears in coconut oil in my iron skilled with lots of cardemom and cinnamon.

Dehydrated pears and tahini...(ate lots of tahini, used the pears to finish it off). 

This is actually a normal meal for me so it wasn't too hard to enjoy. Garbanzos, steamed broccoli, tuna on a salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil. 

Day 9 with the addition of rice I made a rice and bean pizza crust with sunflower seeds. Just threw it into my blender and plopped it on the pan (with lots of olive oil beneath it). Turned out so yummy and went with the boys pizza dough from trader joes. 

I think I'll do this again, maybe in the spring? Really missed chocolate:). And also found myself putting food to mouth of the kids that wasn't on the plan. I thought more about food and my relationship with it. I love food. I enjoy food. I mostly make great choices, and sometimes eat more than what my body actually needs for nutrition and health. Increasing mindfulness is easier to teach than to learn and it was such an eye opening experience.