The Visit to The Nutritionist

10/23/10

Yesterday I went to visit a nutritionist to discuss my thyroid and health issues.

Having only ever been to the traditional medical doctors, this was a new experience for me.

I chose a doctor in my area who follows the recommendations of Dr. Datis Kharrasian. She works out of her home and seemed like a knowledgeable individual. We went through the questionnaire I filled out, the health history I gave here and the blood tests that she ordered. I also gave her my blood test results that I have monitored since changing from the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) to eating primarily raw vegan foods.

I have several blood test results that were out of the acceptable functional range. I will include these at the end of the post so I can document this and record my progress.

Last year I was tested for vitamin D 25 OH and it was found to be low while I was on the raw vegan diet. So, I started taking a D3 supplement and it has only moved a few points in the correct direction. She recommended that I change to an Apex brand and see whether or not that helps to increase the values faster. Vitamin D is very important in the development of bones and teeth. She also recommended Vitamin K2, which, I had already started taking a couple months ago.

We discussed my test results and apparently my thyroid, TSH value, has gone back down some since I changed to eating more paleo. I feel a little better but, I have gained a few pounds on it. I have to admit that I haven’t been very strict with it. I have also gone through a couple of illnesses recently and lots of traveling. But, I am ready to focus my efforts on my health now. I need to feel better and take care of myself again.

I’ve been focusing on others as of late and my health has deteriorated a bit.

I have had many exposures to toxins and have had digestive problems for years. It is time to get some assistance in my health journey. I’ve been trying to do this on my own for too long. At least I have been monitoring my blood test results. I know many raw vegans who don’t ever have their blood monitored. It’s rather scary to me. It can take years to see problems physically that a simple blood test can point out.

My nutritionist’s recommendations are that I do the Clearvite detoxification process recommended by Dr. K.  This will start with from 3-5 days of a lemon water with maple syrup fast. No cayenne in it like the Master Cleanse. I did this for 3 days during the summer and hopefully can do this for the 5 days. Then it is 21 days of modified eating with a limitation on beef, processed meats (which I don’t eat), and eating primarily fish, some chicken, some turkey and lamb. I can eat as many green vegetables as I want and some fruits. I can have green vegetable juices but, no fruit juices.

It is also a gradual ramp of taking the Clearvite liver cleansing protein powder. I start with once a day and gradually increase the Clearvite to 3 times per day. On the days when I take the Clearvite, 3 times per day, I will have no animal products at all. This shouldn’t be difficult at all since I’ve been raw vegan for many years.

The goal is to let my digestive tract have a rest from all gluten (which I try not to consume any longer), and from dairy products. I will need to eliminate the eggs and butter that I have come to enjoy and also ensure that I have absolutely no gluten from now on. Gluten appears to be an irritant for my digestive tract. I’m beginning to believe that it is an irritant for everyone. They just don’t know it yet. I’m also curious where chia seeds fall into the mix. I love them in my smoothies and cereals and would hate to have to eliminate them from my diet in the long run.

My goal is to start the lemon water cleanse on Wednesday and then the 21 day liver detox on November 1^st. I will try to document how I feel and what symptoms I may have here.

I also need to do a saliva test to check my hormone levels and cortisol levels. I’ll be doing that in the next week. This will give us a baseline on where to start with any hormone recommendations. It will more than likely be a situation where I need to take some form of hormones. This would all be due to my age and the fact that I have had a complete hysterectomy. I was on an estrogen product for 10 years but stopped taking it when I decided to start eating primarily raw vegan. Having stopped taking hormones probably accelerated my osteoporosis. Or it could have been something that I was lacking in the raw vegan diet. During my high fruit diet stage I also started experiencing arthritic symptoms. I am hoping that these improve once I clean my digestion, get my hormones balanced, and figure out my thyroid and diabetic health issues.

We also discussed my waking up at night. I sleep from 8-9 hours each night, so I am not lacking sleep. I just wake up each night between 2 and 3 am. The nutritionist mentioned that it had to do with epinephrine levels increasing at those times for those with hormonal issues. I will hopefully go into more details concerning all of these issues as time passes.

It will be a long road but it is one that I wish to take. It will also require a bit of studying to understand what is going on in my body. I don’t want to just be a follower. I want to understand what and why these things happened in my body and what I can do to maintain health.

I would like to get my pre-diabetes, hormones, adrenals, cortisol, thyroid issues straightened out. I believe I can do this with a low carb raw food diet. It may not be 100% raw but I will get it to be as close to that as I can. I may have some meats that are cooked. I would also like to have the flexibility to eat some cooked greens that may be goitrogenic. These are foods that fall into the cruciferous family. Studies have shown that they can adversely affect the thyroid.

Blood test levels that were out of range:

Globulin                   2.3   low

Alk Phos                  92    high

RDW                           13.60 high

Calcium                  9.1 a little low

Phosphorus                  4.4 a little high

CO2                           24  a little low

Total protein         6.8  a little low

LDH                           188 high

RBS                           4.67 high (dehydration)

Triglycerides         54.0   low

Cholesterol                  242 high

LDL                           155 high

Chol/HDL ratio         3.18 high

TSH                           3.2

Neutrophils                  43 lower normal (bacterial)

Lymphocytes         39 higher normal (viral)

Eosinophils                  6.0 High (parasites/allergy)

Monocytes                  11.0 High (inflammation)

Estradiol                       7.9

DHEA sulfate         109.2

C-Reactive Prtn         .59 (low?)

Homocyste(e)ine         8.8

Magnesium                  2.40

For the most part these are test results that were out of range. The ones on the lower portion of the list are ones that I need to investigate also.

So, what did I eat today.

I had some fish stock with some soaked kelp and some fresh ahi.

Later in the day I snacked on almonds and had a few of my homemade chocolates.

About an hour later I snacked on some deli provolone cheese. It made my stomach hurt. I just don’t seem to react well with cow’s milk foods. I have done well with the Redwood Hills raw goat’s milk feta but I didn’t have any of that in the house.

For dinner I had a green soup that consisted of coconut milk, Clearvite protein powder, ½ apple, ½ cucumber, 2 cups spinach, tbsp. chia seeds. It was tasty and very filling.

I don’t think I’ll be snacking on anything this evening. If I do it will be a few almonds. I’m rather stuffed at the moment.

As I may have mentioned before, I am logging this information so that I can keep track of what is going on in my body and mind as I take this turn on my journey. I had originally thought that eating a low fat raw vegan diet was going to be the cure for all that ailed me. It wasn’t. I had several illnesses expose themselves while eating that way. So, I am switching things up to see if I can get these things under control eating lower carbohydrate raw foods. This will include animal foods.

October 8, 2010

I was able to get a good night sleep last night. I have found that I average about 8-9 hours of solid sleep. But, I do wake up at around 3am. I’ve had a friend tell me that this could possibly have to do with my lungs. That this is the time that lungs begin to replenish their energy. I don’t know at this point in time what to make of it. Maybe this is a result of my having smoked for over 20 years in my life. I quit the second time five years ago. I’ll have to keep and eye on that.

This morning I started my day with a nice warm cup of my Chinese herbal tea mixture with a touch of molasses and some shilajit.

Late morning I made a wonderful smoothie. It consisted of

1 cup water

½ cup coconut milk

3 soaked prunes

1 Tbsp. chia seeds

1 Tbsp. bee pollen

2 raw egg yolks

1 scoop of Clearvite.

Clearvite is a rice flour supplement that was recommended to me. Since I’ve added it into my diet I have found that my burning tongue symptoms have reduced. The burning sensation hasn’t completely gone away but I find that when I add Clearvite to my morning smoothie, it reduces the symptoms. The burning tongue symptoms started after I had knee surgery this past year. I’m not sure if it had to do with an attack on my immune system or if my body is depleted in one of the minerals in the protein powder. All I know is that my body feels great after adding it into my smoothies and I don’t have an adverse reactions to it.

I did exercise today. This is the first time that I have exercised in a long time. I have been so drained and unmotivated for the last month that I haven’t had a desire to get out and do my daily walks. But, for some reason, today I went out and walked 4 miles. It felt good to get out again. I’ve missed it. I just haven’t had much energy since my recent bout of flu/cold that I caught while traveling. I hope this is a good sign of things to come

For lunch I ended up having about 3 cups of the leftover leek/celery soup that I made yesterday. I sprinkled a couple tablespoons of pumpkin seeds on top. Delish.

For dinner I had an 8oz cup of chicken broth and a large salad. The salad consisted of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, green onions and my favorite coconut/olive oil/tahini dressing. I also ate a 4oz ahi tuna steak.

In the future, once I become a little bit more savvy at posting, I'll start adding some photos of the foods that I am eating.

October 7, 2010

October 7, 2010

I woke up tired again. I haven’t recovered all of my energy from being sick a few weeks ago. I’m also not sure how this transition to be closer to a paleo diet is going to affect me. Maybe I’ll be sluggish for the first few weeks, I’m not sure.

This morning I made a cooked low carb meal. I made some coconut flour pancakes courtesy of my friend Erin over at Pretty in Primal.

Breakfast:

2 eggs beaten

3 Tbsp. coconut flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

dollop of vanilla

pinch of salt

coconut milk, enough to thin it out.

Cooked in butter.

I made this wonderful sauce for the topping. It was fresh (you can certainly use frozen) and coconut milk. I blended that up and poured it over the pancakes. If you’d like a hot topping just cook the berries with some butter. It’s wonderful.

I snacked on a couple ounces of soaked, sprouted, dehydrated almonds for my midday snack.

For dinner I made a leek/celery soup and steak.

Leek/celery soup:

½ cup sauerkraut

1 cup herbal tea

½ green apple

1 lemon, peeled

2 cups mixed greens

1 avocado, peeled and seeded

1 leek chopped, white part only

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup parsley

2 green onions

1 cup coconut milk

I blended it all together and sprinkled the top with pumpkin seeds.

This recipe made about 6 cups. I had 3 cups prior to searing a very rare 6oz grass-fed buffalo tenderloin steak. 

Today's Progress

I would like to say that losing weight will only be a beneficial side effect of eating this way. I am eating this way to improve my health. I only have about 10 pounds to lose at this point. I lost much of what I needed to lose over the last few years of eating primarily raw foods.

BlogDate 10/6/2010

My major health concerns right now are my hypothyroidism, pre-diabetes (insulin resistance), osteoporosis, arthritis and my immune system which seems to have been compromised.

I have taken blood tests and did a questionnaire for my thyroid doctor and will have an appointment with her in a couple of weeks to determine her recommendations in what I can and can’t eat. Trying to make the majority of my foods raw is going to be a challenge.

A few weeks ago my immune system was completely comprised. Whether it was the extensive travel I have been doing, and the stress of that, or the environment I was in, I crashed. I had such a horrible cough, runny nose and overall body aches and fever.

Once I returned home I started making soup broths to regenerate my body. I made bone marrow broths and vegetable broths. These were my cooked foods for the day. I also made some Chinese herb teas to help with my immune system. So, I have been continuing those in the hopes that they will help my system regenerate.

This morning I had a Chinese herbal tea mixture that I make out of rehmannia, reishi, schizandra berries, licorice, astragalus, poria, and other herbs. I added in some molasses (not raw) and some Shilajit (3 immortals from the ShamanShack). This is the drink that I have most morning. I drink it warm and not boiling. I slow cook a large batch of this once a week and keep it in the refrigerator. Then I take some out and slowly warm it on the stove to body temperature.

Later in the morning I made a smoothie using the tea and some water as the liquid. I added in ½ cup of berries and some Raw Warrior powder from Health Force Nutritionals. Added in a bit of coconut milk and it was delicious.

For lunch I warmed a cup of vegetable broth and had a small 4 oz. piece of ahi tuna raw. I love sashimi just plain. Sometimes I will make nori rolls with it but today I wanted it straight up. I always buy wild-caught fish and grass fed beef and chicken.

As you can see, my diet is not vegetarian or vegan. I am eating closer to a paleo diet but eating as much of it raw as I can.

I never went raw vegan for ethical reasons although I do understand all the concerns with factory farming. That is one thing that going vegan opened my eyes to. I wasn’t aware of how our commercial food or factory farmed animals were being raised. I am thankful for having my eyes opened to those issues.

But, I am not into the dogma of the extreme vegans. I can’t be. If I follow that, I know I will die. I have followed it for many years and found that my immune system became weaker and weaker for various reasons.

For now, I will eat what I need to eat to be healthy. If I am told I need to add more than just the broths and teas into my diet, I will seriously have to consider it.

For dinner this evening I made a large salad with mesclun mix and herb mix. I added half of a cucumber, 2 tbsp. red onion, with a dressing of coconut oil, olive oil, tahini, apple cider vinegar, and a clove of garlic. Very tasty. I also ate an extremely rare 6oz. piece of buffalo tenderloin steak. Also very tasty.

Topped that off with about 3 oz. of almonds.

That was my day today.

My First Posting

I would first like to say that I have never blogged before. I'm sure there are tons of people out there who start their first blog that way.

This is some of my story. I couldn’t possibly tell you everything now. That wouldn’t leave much for me to say later on.

I’m a 51 year old woman who has had many health issues in her past.

I grew up eating lots of homemade foods. My mother made the traditional Mexican foods from scratch. Foods such as, homemade flour tortillas, pots of beans, fried potatoes, lots of enchiladas, tacos, burritos and other traditional foods. These were mainly high carbohydrate foods but not many of them were processed foods. She also made things like homemade chicken soups and included many organ meats in our meals.

I was very thin when I was growing up and was always teased about it. It didn’t bother me because I could eat whatever I wanted to and never gained a pound. I was very active, walking all over town, and got in enough exercise to keep my metabolism going. My metabolism stayed high until I reached the age of 30.

Then, I started experiencing gradual weight gain and several health issues. I developed cervical cancer and had a complete hysterectomy due to severe endometriosis. I started developing cysts in my lymph nodes, and so many other illnesses that I can’t list them all here. I was put on many medications to help with the hormone balances, the high cholesterol I had developed, the sleep disorders, etc.

During my 30’s and early 40’s I had adopted what the government claims is a healthy diet. I changed to eating wheat breads, pastas, grains, vegetables and lean meats. This helped with some of my weight issues but never really helped my exhaustion or other health related problems.

At about the age of 45, I started to experience severed intestinal problems. I had a syndrome, which I later found out was called Defecation Syncope. It is where a person has a tendency to pass out when they have a bowel movement. It was something that would happen unexpectedly and in inconvenient places.

One day, as I was going through the airport in Dallas, I came across a book titled Fit For Life, Not Fat For Life by Harvey Diamond. I read the book and it made sense to me. The idea of eating raw fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds as my primary source of food just made sense to me. The very next week I saw Carol Alt on a television program promoting the raw food diet and sharing brownies with the audience. I thought, if I can have chocolate too, I’m in.

So, the following week, I switched over to a raw food diet. Not only did I switch over to a raw food diet, but I slowly started to wean myself off of all the medications that I had been on for the past 10 years. I knew that taking 5 prescriptions each day just couldn’t be good for me. I did all of this without a doctor’s approval, which I don’t recommend to anyone.

I went through some major detoxification symptoms from each of the medications. I felt like a junkie coming off of heroine or something, not that I know what that is like. It was just horrible. The headaches, the chills, the shakes, the sweats. Just horrible. But I persevered believing this would all come to an end.

What I didn’t expect was the major onslaught of the menopausal symptoms that my hormone replacement therapy had averted for so many years. I went through intense night sweats, hot and cold flashes and all the other symptoms women go through during menopause. It hit me all at once and lasted for 2 full years. I still have some hot flashes every now and then but nothing compared to what I went through those first two years off of the medication.

After about 6 months of being 100% raw vegan, I began to feel better. I felt I had more energy and continued on that path.

Then, about a year later I found several websites that had communities of raw foodists who ate similar to myself. I knew others out there had to be eating similar to myself, I just hadn’t connected to many of them. I was doing it on my own.

I soon discovered other discussion boards and a raw food school to learn how to prepare some of the more gourmet oriented raw food dishes. So, I added that. I became a bit more involved in raw foods, attending faires and festivals. I was enmeshed in being a raw vegan.

My health seemed to improve on raw foods but I never really had the type of energy that others spoke of. I still felt tired in the afternoons and not very energetic. I exercised regularly, took up running, and lived an overall healthy diet, I thought.

Then I ventured into fruitarianism. This was a major mistake for my body. I was so wired on all the sugar that I was eating that I slept very little and was consuming massive amounts of fruits all the time. I would eat a large meal of fruits or green vegetables, have a bloated stomach, and still feel as though I was hungry. I felt I was missing something.

Then, I had more blood tests and bone density tests done. I was shocked. I had begun to develop osteoporosis, I was becoming pre-diabetic (insulin resistant), my thyroid levels were increasing and my vitamin D levels were dangerously low just to name a few things. I was still always tired and felt horrible.

I decided to start adding in more animal products and to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in my diet. I wanted to keep things primarily raw since I still believe that foods closest to their natural state are more beneficial to our body’s health.

About 6 months ago I started reducing my carbohydrates. I started adding in fermented milks by making homemade yogurts and kefirs. But, the raw cow’s milks were causing congestion so I stopped consuming those. I found that goat’s milk feta cheese didn’t cause any issues for me so I used some of that on my salads.

I then ventured into raw fish. I’ve always enjoyed sashimi and added that back into my diet. Once I did this I felt like a different person. My brain fog started to lift, not right away, but at a gradual pace. I had begun to start to lose my memory while on the fruitarian diet. I also lost much of my short-term memory due to some mercury exposure while having some fillings removed. By adding the fish back into my diet, my brain was getting the fats that it needed. It was happy.

In the past six months I have made many changes in my diet. I am a chef at heart and would love to find more raw food recipes that incorporate lower carbohydrate foods into them. This would help me appease my desire to create food and help with my health. So, that is the direction I am going to go with this blog. I am hoping that I can create some recipes that others will enjoy and hopefully help them on their path to health too.

One note: I will be seeing a hypothyroid specialist in the coming weeks and will be put on a strict restriction diet to help my body to stop attacking the thyroid. Hopefully I can make some recipes throughout it that will help me accomplish this. I am not adverse to eating cooked meats so I may include some of those recipes in this blog too.

Please be aware that I am no longer a vegan. I am fully aware of all the issues surrounding factory farmed animals and try to buy meats and dairy from farmers who raise their animals ethically and how they should be raised, grass-fed.

I am not here to discuss the pros and cons of being a vegan. I am here to share ideas for raw low carbohydrate dishes and foods.

I hope that I am able to help someone else on their journey as I go through mine.

All I want is to be healthy. I don’t feel that health has been a part of my life for years.