Beginning of pure Healing for my IBD

As most of you know If you look at my previous posts I know how to heal my IBD what set me back was taking pharmaceutical drugs and then taking a probiotic that had dairy in it...etc. etc.. if you would like to learn more look at my previous posts but now I will be discussing whatever I feel like during the next two weeks as I re-heal my intestines with this absolutely no fiber, low residue diet, low FODMAP, anti-inflammatory, paleo-inspired diet I have composed.

Sep 4 2013

(started 0 gram fiber diet on Aug 16th-- about 3 weeks ago but with too much cheating)

So today has been my fully liquid absolutely nothing difficult to digest beginning of the diet--no cheating! I cheated a couple of times these past weeks with cashew butter which has 1 gram of fiber but I realized my body is not ready for it yet....(good sign shows healing)

Also this portion of the diet will not include any whole meat but the liquid portion of the meat that I cook in the slow cooker--I didn't realize but the connective tissue in a burger (no bun just meat) was really difficult to digest...since later on it felt like my intestines were being pulled out of my body... it was more formed which is another sign of healing but it hurt so bad that it showed that  I am ready to move on to the liquid stage.

Today I should have brought more soup with me when I was out... but at least I had some available since I was thinking I would be fine without much but now I look back and I am so glad I cooked up that burger meat in the small slow cooker with the kale and bone broth that I had made before hand- It was delish and helped me feel better since I ate too many sour gummy beans... I guess I just have been feeling deprived lately but now I know I feel way better if I get some real food in me... at least the gummies didn't make my intestines hurt I made sure they didn't contain grape juice or some juice thats difficult to digest (FODMAP friendly). Whats weird though is that after eating them I felt more hungry which is another sign that my body just needed more nutrients... bleh but I was too far away from home this time... not smart. :/

Today I went to the Talbert park and did some hula hooping in my secret spot, finished up the 4 folded way book based on shaminsim which was really great, then I hung out with Rachael at Westminster mall and bought two color hair extensions! so excited! now I dont have to make the commitment to add a burst of color ;)

I'm so thankful that my body is ready for the exclusive liquid portion of the diet! It took a bit longer but probably since I cheated too much with cashew butter... but yea I am ready now!

Side note-->I really want to try making these sour gummies!

If I make the blueberry one I would have to strain the blueberries so I dont get the fiber...I think I'll try the lemon lime one --both are FODMAP friendly ;)

http://balancedbites.com/2013/07/easy-recipe-sweet-sour-gummy-gelatin-snacks.html

I'm ready to heal then its on ward to traveling!

(sorry if my spelling, grammar, etc. is bad--I just dont care; sorry again :P)

--Have any of you had to make some major changes in your diet to receive a major health outcome?

--What has helped your health the most: diet or non-diet related?

leave your comments below! :D

IBD Health Update!

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to update everyone on whats been going on as for health and life.

Well as you know I had started working at Sprouts last time I was on here which was an experience I always wanted but now I am done being a Vitamin clerk... It was not the greatest experience...I thought there would have been a lot more "foot traffic" than there actually was: Hours of nothing to do... literally I felt like my brain was melting... I was also not completely healed before working there... --You can read about that on the post titled "FMT Results and looking at the future ahead"

My Mind, Body, and Spirit were slowly dwindling away and my health got worst...

Mind- The job had so many hours of nothing to do......I would try to go read the health books but I felt as if I was not suppose to at the same time even though it would assist me to help the customers better.

I discovered- I NEED MENTAL STIMULATION!

Body- While working there I re-discovered an occurrence that happens with physics and that is... It requires more energy to stand than walking.. so I didn't realize while working there how much it would put a strain on my body working there since most of the time there nothing to do. You either stand or walk slowly... then stand with a customer, stand to put products away, etc... This was more difficult on my body than working at the chiros, target, and all my other jobs that required me to move fast..

Spirit- Even though my spirit has been building slowly living with the other two Yogi roomates. I felt like my spirit was slowly being diminished working there for many factors: not enough people to help, body pain, and one of the big ones is that a lot of people working there seemed like they were not happy and with this they connected on that level which I found really weird... Why connect on such a negative note? Dont you see how you are contributing to society? How you are helping?

If you dont like your job; make a change.
Dont connect on negativity; we dont need that it in this world...

So with this combination; my intestines started to get worse to the point that I had to take embarrassing measures so that they would work... :( I wont mention here (yes that means it pretty embarrassing if I can't mention it here...)  I felt like I was back to square one... ugh.. so I had to quit so I could get my health back into check.

Yes I have no job at this moment, but I'm going to be working on my health again... at least I know what I need to do but it has been so much harder the second time around... probably because I didn't think I would ever have to do it again... :S Its been about 2-3 weeks on pretty much no fiber but I have been messing up just to see what my limits are and I guess I just have to do the full on program again that I did last time since what I've been doing is not completely helping gah....

I think Ill be writing in my blog more often to help keep me motivated and If any of you would like to cheer me on! It would be great :)

<3 Please leave a comment below and if you dont see the comment box--
 -You need to either refresh the page or put it in a different view
-I still dont know how to contact Google about this problem but if any you know how or the email to Google please let me know!

Egg-free Paleo Breakfast Ideas!

I wrote these recipes about a month ago... sorry I didn't post them since I didn't have the pics up yet... so here you go!!! I hope you guys are enjoying these recipes? I have been getting private emails about how you guys like my blog, but please post below so that others know that I am not just writing to myself... :S

Egg-free Paleo Breakfast Ideas!

"Oatmeal"/Porridge 3 ways!

Turkey bacon with veggies

Paleo Protein shake!

Paleo Coconut Blueberry (Muffin) Porridge/"Oatmeal"

Paleo: Dairy-Grain-Refined-sugar-free/Gluten-free/Vegan: egg-free

This recipe seriously tastes like a blueberry muffin....give it a shot and try to tell me that I'm wrong :P

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS coconut flour
• 2/3-3/4 cup liquid: 2/2-3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk from a carton or 2 TBS coconut milk from a can and fill up to 2/3-3/4 cup measurement with water
• 1/2 date roll (almond removed)
• 5 drops of vanilla stevia (if you use the whole date roll I recommend not putting stevia in-- it will be too sweet)
• Frozen Blueberries- about 1/2 a handful or however much you like
• Cinnamon

Directions

1. Place your 3/4 cup liquid in a saucepan
2. break up your date roll into pieces so that it can dissolve better in the liquid
3. bring up to a high simmer and continue to stir
4. once it up to a simmer smoosh date roll with the back of a wooden spoon against the sauce pan so that it can be dissolve into the liquid (if any gets stuck to the back of the wooden spoon get another small spoon and scrape off the moosh and put it into your liquid for further dissolving)
5. Once it looks like the date roll is pretty dissolved (it wont be perfect) add in your stevia-- if you wont be using the whole date roll
6.  Add the 2TBS of coconut flour cook for a little bit then add in your frozen blueberries and cinnamon (to taste)
7. let it re-warm a bit from the frozen blueberries and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top
8. Tell me it doesn't taste like a blueberry muffin ;)

Theo's (Sea Salt) Chocolate "Oatmeal" (Chia Seed) Recipe
or  if your not into chocolate as much as I am- 
Paleo Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed pudding/porridge/"oatmeal

---dont add the Cocoa pwd but instead add in lots of cinnamon, pumpkin spice/ ginger pwd--

Paleo: Dairy-Grain-Refined-sugar-free/Gluten-free/Vegan: egg-free

So this recipe has had an interesting progression from using coconut milk from a can to using actual oats.

But with new found love of chia seeds and trying to convert back to my paleo ways I had to find another option to include them in my breakfast other than adding them to my smoothies well here you go you lucky people I have devised an amazing breakfast or even dessert ;) that reminds me of the Salted dark chocolate that Theo's makes! It's sooooooooo goood.... you have to try this!

This recipes is similar to the coconut version with a few minor tweaks

Optional change if you like banana- 

Instead of using pumpkin puree and a date roll you can use 1 banana to replace both.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS Chia Seeds
• 2/3-3/4 cup liquid: 2/2-3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk from a carton or 2 TBS coconut milk from a can and fill up to 3/4 cup measurement with water
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (I used it from a can)
• 1 TBS Cocoa Pwd
• 1/2 date roll (almond removed)
• 5 drops chocolate stevia
• Sea Salt
• cinnamon
• optional- 1/2 tsp vanilla protein pwd (makes it creamier)
•  (If making pumpkin pie version exclude the Cocoa pwd; add cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice/ ginger pwd

 Directions:

1. Place your 3/4 cup liquid in a saucepan

2. break up your date roll into pieces so that it can dissolve better in the liquid

4. Add in your 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

3. bring up to a high simmer and continue to stir (incorporating the pumpkin puree)

4. once it up to a simmer smoosh date roll with the back of a wooden spoon against the sauce pan so that it can be dissolve into the liquid (if any gets stuck to the back of the wooden spoon get another small spoon and scrape off the moosh and put it into your liquid for further dissolving)

5. Once it looks like the date roll is pretty dissolved (it wont be perfect) add in your stevia and a pinch of salt-- if you wont be using the whole date roll

6. Add the 2 TBS of Chia seeds and stir

• 7. Once the chia seeds start to gel and thicken the mixture and in the 1 TBS Cocoa, cinnamon pwd and optional protein pwd (If making pumpkin pie version exclude the Cocoa pwd; add cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice/ ginger pwd

8. stir until its all incorporated

9. place in a bowl and if its chocolate top with a sprinkling of sea salt on top to reminisce on the amazing Theo's sea salt dark chocolate mmm... yum...

Turkey Bacon and veggies

so simple I'm wondering if I should put this on my site well its always good to bring about ideas even if they are simple

Ingredients:

• 2 Strips Turkey bacon (I buy it from trader joes)
• about a 1/2 cup mixed frozen veggies
• coconut aminos
• optional- spices: curry pwd, cumin, tumeric get creative ;)

Directions:

1. Cook bacon on pan let it sear up a bit
2. take bacon out 
3. place about a 1/2 cup frozen veggies add in some coconut aminos and cook to your preference
4. optional add in some spices
5. place bacon back in to re-warm
6. put in a bowl or plate and enjoy your easy-delish-protein-fiber-rich breakfast

Where's the Paleo Protein shake recipe?

Click here!

--As you can tell with most of these pics its hard for me to not eat some or even all of it before I can snap a pic so yea.... they are not the greatest quality pictures but the food is so... enjoy! :D

Best Fudgy Decadent Brownie You'll Ever Have-->Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Nut-Free, Refined-Sugar-Free..

I'm so sorry..I know I'm such a bad blogger for not blogging more often!!!

Its just so hard for me to sit down and write.... :S

So to pay for my debt...I am finally giving all of you a recipe that you have been long waiting for and that is....
my Fudgy Decadent Paleo Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woot Woot! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this recipe for months now.. well today is the day it has finally come; Enjoy!!! I hope this makes up for my absence ;P

I have just been extremely busy since I've come down from WA. I was on Orcas Island with my friend for about 2 weeks before I decided that I should come back down to So. Cali. I made this decision based on some factors: 1- is my health is not completely in order yet, 2- the transition of moving out would be easier with the help of family, 3- I want to go surfing this Summer ;P.

So at the moment I am living with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece in a small apartment I feel bad for staying this long but I really did my best when it came to trying to find a job as fast as possible.

I finally got a job which in my opinion is a great steady job that has many opportunities! I will be working at Sprouts as a Supplement Specialist! Not only am I getting paid more than when I working with the Chiropractors...I will also have the opportunity to help more people in the community and if they have a more chronic health problem I could help them outside of sprouts through my Nutrition consulting! Win win!

I start tomorrow at Sprouts so I thought I had to write a post before I start work :P

Now I'm gonna spruce up on my Advance Nutrition while also trying to find a place...one thing at a time... at least I've got a job now! :D

without further adieu here is my....

Fudgy Decadent Paleo Sweet Potato Brownie!
Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Nut-Free, Refined-Sugar-Free

Fudgy Decadent Paleo Sweet Potato Brownie
Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Nut-Free, Refined-Sugar-Free

--Modified to make it more chocolaty and decadent the original was too fluffy and still tasted like sweet potato but I saw that there was potential!!! :D

--Oh yea mine is Vegan ;P

I got the "inspiration" from PaleOMG.com

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potatoà 1 can sweet potato
• 1/4 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• ¼ tsp chocolate stevia (makes it amazingly chocolaty)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (can omit for strict paleo)
• 1 TBS coconut flour (must use!!! If not your brownie will be to liquidy)
• 1 TBS arrowroot starch 
• 1TBS tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 3 TBS+ 1/4 tsp baking pwd* (grain-free recipe below-potentially could use arrowroot starch and only 1/4 tsp baking pwd--have not tried yet)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. add wet ingredients: coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, sweet potato puree, chocolate stevia
3. Then add your dry ingredients: the flours (must have coconut flour!) and starches, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt
4. mix it up...
5. then add in the chocolate chips! (I really recommend ;P, but still good without)
6. Mix well to incorporate all that goodness.
7. line a 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper so its easier to take out! (you must do this...)
8. glob down the brownie blob and press into the 8×8 glass baking dish
9. Bake for 30-35 min
10. take out of the oven and let it sit for 10-15min 
11. then remove with the help of the parchment paper ends sticking out use both hands and grab the two corners of parchment paper lift and set aside to cool a bit longer 5-10min
12. consume! :P

*grain-free baking pwd recipe

• 1 part aluminum free baking soda
• 1 part arrowroot starch
• 2 parts cream of tartar

directions;

mix all together use and store for later use

Please let me know how you like this recipe!

or if you have any questions or comments, dont be shy jibber jabber away!

GutInstinctNutrition.Net

FMT Results and looking at the future ahead

So I would like to say the FMT retreat was overall a good experience I learned a good amount about myself and made friends with an international couple who has now invited me to come to Bacelona when I get a chance! Thanks Paul and Nuria!

I was hoping that FMT would be my last step in healing...but I guess not :(

my case I guess is kind of complicated..and has been slowly unfolding...

Like I said earlier how I pretty much healed myself through nutrition and other health modalities but after speaking to my ND about when the constipation started we both realized that it was from the Pain meds/opiate drug from when I had my wisdom teeth taken out.... (since I refused to take the antibiotics and just used goldenseal during the procedure and oregano oil/salt rinse afterwards....)

Yup, man-made drugs did me in again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Never again!

What happened is that the pain med/opiate drug created a very slow moving intestinal "Environment" with this "Environment" a particular flora that likes this type of slow moving environment formed .... which is why I now have constipation... WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously my body does not like man-made drugs....ugh...

SO.... FMT did not exactly work out because towards the last treatments (9th & 10th) he realized that I had impacted stool in my gut soooo... that could be a reason as to why FMT has not really been working...ugh.. its too bad that was figured out towards the end of the treatments :(

I only improved slightly with FMT= instead of having absolutely No Bowel Sounds in all 4 Quadrants of my intestines (in a time frame of a minute) I now have some movement 1-6 times per minute yeah! which mainly occur towards the duodenum and slowly become less towards the large intestine...

With this thought he has recommended that I get Colon Hydrotherapy with the hope that it will remove the impacted stool and potentially whatever amount of the FMT has colonized my gut to colonized the rest of it..

So yesterday was my first time getting colon hydrotherapy and it was fine...but hopefully today will be better since as the person who was doing it said that yea we use water force to help but we've all been trained to hold it in and use the toilet so the body is all like "what the heck!" So it was mainly mucus and lymph that came out rather than actual stool :/ little disappointing but hopefully today will be better!

-It was interesting though since she was all like do you feel that you are not completely able to express who you are as an individual?
-I can tell since you are not able to release...
-oh there goes some bile do you also hold some anger/resentment towards anyone?
-ME: ahhh ! She can read me through my crap... ugh..

Sidenote--My Pancreas
I also had ultrasound done which was a horrible experience...It was very painful them poking and prodding me for 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ugh... it was a  teaching clinic the first hour was two students and then they were all like you will probably be able to go but stay just in case... Ultrasound specialist comes in does another whole hour....the whole time I was trying not to cry from the pain...instead water was just flowing down the sides of my face...(I didn't know how sensitive my intestines were until they started pushing them..) I tried to get them to tell me what they were looking at but they wouldn't tell me...So within 24 hours they reported that the head portion of my pancreas is larger than most normal pancreas's but the MD clarified it as normal....

--I dont think so! The head portion of the pancreas is where the enzymes are formed for digestion which I have a very hard time digesting food.... I take pancreatic enzymes

--One of my friends who is becoming an ND also said it could be the sphincter that is too tight this sphincter is where both the pancreatic duct and bile duct come together so it would make sense because I have a really difficult time digesting fats as well...which could be from my body being under a constant state of stress... it makes sense if your stressed your body does not want to digest food--> it want's to get the heck out of there...I'm thinking this relates back to not being able to express myself completely since I feel that I am constantly being judged...so its good that I am on my own now..

The food served at FMT was amazing!
So for dessert I got to try 2 different gluten-free and one that is both gluten-free and vegan both were amazing!

Back to Eden (Gluten-free and Vegan)
--More dessert focused
--They also sell dairy free Ice cream but I never felt like having it...I would like to try it though!

I tried many things here since it was close and my friends and I all shared!
chocolate, lemon, almond cupcakes- all amazing
strawberry hazelnut cake- one of my favorites!
rose sugar cookie-great!
orange chocolate chip- great

-pretty much everything is good but the lavender honey cake was a bit strange taste a little like soap but if you love lavender it might be fine.

Tula Bakery (Gluten-free and some Vegan options)
--Dessert focused but also have more breakfast and lunch options
I didn't buy anything but tried other peoples
everything was good as well

oh Portland you are amazing!

Back to Eden-->Cupcakes

Day 5 FMT Self Discovery

Day 5

Today was an interesting and self discovering day in so many different ways...

Well before FMT my roomates and I had a bit of a talent show with the other patient giving his Irish jig (hes originally from Ireland) and then me with my Hula hoop ;) It was really fun I was actually able to let go in front of them (a bit) which I have never been able to do before yea!

So  about an hour after FMT today, I went bike riding with my roomates to New Seasons Market to check it out and also so that I could get some more face wash and coconut milk. I didn't think I wasn't going to be able to since I kept feeling I needed to use the bathroom after FMT but what was great is that riding the bike actually helped relieve the urge; awesomeness! ;)

So on the ride back the bag's handle ripped...but as if the universe knew this would happen; there was a piece of rope on the ground directly in front of me that I used to wrap the bag of grocery's on the back of my bike! Thank you Universe!

When I got back for Acupuncture I had a re-self discovery moment in which I asked about my scar on my head and what significance it could have on my meridians since I remember her talking about how scars can really have an effect on the body. Well whats fascinating about it is that it lies on the portion of what is considered the blueprint of my true self or another way of saying it is who I am suppose to be down to the core.

 Well after she had stuck me with needles and left to go speak with someone I was thinking about my life overall and how yes having IBD of course has an influence on my life but I feel that I have done a good amount in my life and maybe even more than most people who didn't grow up with a chronic disease. So in a way, I feel that I would have done the same amount of things in my life or even less if I didn't have this disease since with this disease has made me want to push my boundaries. With this thought if I had a normal functioning body all these years I might have taken it for granted and not had done as much or might have even abused it like I have seen so many people do: alcohol, drugs, etc... 

So in a way growing up with this disease could be seen as a blessing since it has helped push myself to live life and seek out my limits; so far my limits are much greater than I could have ever imagined... :D

What does this all mean then? I gained the perspective that this scar symbolizes that no matter how much I dont want the scar to be a part of me as an individual it is a part of who I am; if I like it or not (this scar is the starting point of when I developed IBD from the antibiotic treatment I received at 4 yrs old).

 This past year I had developed some pretty strong negative feelings towards my scar and IBD which I have never had before and just recently I realized it was coming from my mother who would automatically think I couldn't do this or that because of my IBD... I just hate how she would pretty much use it an excuse or even a crutch in a way for me not to do things..(I didn't listen most of the time but after a while of hearing it so often it eventually gets in your head..) I feel that I could have been much more productive this past year without her saying that I can't do this or that...(and happier). Being here at the FMT retreat has really helped me re-gain perspective on my life again and that I just need to take one step at a time to reach my goals.

After acupuncture I went to a Vinyasa yoga class and following it a Tea Ceremony and Meditation class at Sun Gate Studio (they have a special in which you can pay $20 for a week of unlimited yoga! or its $12/class I have one week left so I picked the $20 deal its perfect!) It was an amazing experience... I'm not the greatest at yoga but I gained from it is that I need to the possibilities within myself more since at first I didn't want to do the headstand since it has been so long since I have done one but after just trying it I was able to do it pretty easily...which in my mind I thought I wouldn't so it was a nice surprise .the same thing with the backbend bridge but the instructor told me I think you can do it you are pretty flexible (that right there was nicest never in this life thought I would hear compliment) and she was right! I felt that I was actually able to do it better than I did in the past when I was in gymnastics...I think it might be from the craniosacral that has helped with this now that I think about it....

After the yoga, was the Tea and Meditation Ceremony, during the tea ceremony I felt my heart open up and then with the addition of the next tea the rest of my body opened up which was perfect before going into meditation. Being in meditation it helped bring awareness to myself.. and how essentially I am individual who in the end makes my own decisions...to go deeper into this thought; I thought about the saying, "Dont act like you are the center of the universe" but if you think about it each individual could potentially be the center of the universe even if it was for a split second since everyone plays a part of the universe its just up to you how much of an impact you want to put on to the universe for you to become the center.

http://www.gutinstinctnutrition.net/

My travels to Oregon, Day 1-3 of FMT retreat overview and how Flow needs to be a bigger part in my life

Hello all! I know I am behind but I'm gonna try to combine some of the days so that I can hopefully keep up now...

So... the traveling portion... ugh...it was fine for the trip up to San Fran but the way to Oregon oh gosh....bleh...

The only reason the trip from the O.C. to San Fran was easier was not because of the blockage that occurred on the 5 Freeway because of snow... --instead of taking 8hrs. it took 11hrs--.(Sarcasm-- just in case you didn't catch it lol). It was because I got to drive with an Awesome Person named Sean Humphrie! Woot Woot! thanks so much for making the drive so much more enjoyable!

We had awesome conversational topics some of which were:

• How robots are slowly taking over the world (including the pocket robot in most people's pockets/purses)
• How the world came to be
• His potential book idea
• Nutrition which I was very impressed of his knowledge
• How I should really write a book on how I healed my Gut through Nutrition and my experience with FMT which is occurring right now!

I'm so glad I got to meet Sean Humphrie since he helped me gain perspective on myself and the world around me :) Thanks Jen for letting me borrow him to give directions!

On the way to San Fran we stopped to pick up sausages at Dittmers for the German Sparkle Party :P

This German shop was so much nicer than the Old World German shop I have down in the O.C. they had a huge selection of different foods and I was actually able to find some foods I could eat! 

I bought- 

Smoked liverwurst- I seriously wish I bought more since I pretty much ate all of it in one sitting :S

Teewurst- I had never tried before but they said it taste like spreadable salami so I thought its gotta be good then! It kind of tasted like it but was definitely saltier and stronger tasting so I don't recommend eating it alone like the liverwurst pair it with some vegetables and other meats

Chocolate covered Marzipan (Dairy-Free!)- the name of the brand was Schluckwerder Chocolate Covered Marzipan This was an amazing experience--I was so happy they sold one that contained NO milk! yeah! 

The next day we went to Mariposa in Oakland before my drive to Portland where I bought:

Rosemary Rolls (Gluten-free & Vegan)- OMG these were so light and fluffy they put the right amount of the gluten-free starches! The first day I bought these I cut one in half and place pretty much all the smoked liverwurst I bought and warmed them up...It was heavenly good :P yum.. the light fluffiness of the bread with the hint of rosemary paired so well with the smokiness of the liverwurst mmmm...

Whoopie Pie(Gluten-free & Vegan)- This totally reminded me of an Oreo cookie but to the max! The cake portion was very moist  and totally tasted like the chocolate portion of an oreo cookie and the icing inside was nice as well

Penguino(Gluten-free & Vegan)- I bought one but I have not tried it yet (I'm hoping that freezing it is ok since I'm trying to stay away from sweets during FMT)

I wasn't able to go the German Sparkle Party :'( my doc said it would be best that I would get there saturday so I could fast on Sun and since it takes 11 hours to drive from San fran to Portland I pretty much ate my amazing brunch of liverwurst with the rosemary bread packed up and left around 12pm so on the drive there I blasted the music while going (80-90mph sometimes 100mph-->only at night though) on the 5 HWY.

I almost made it there but I couldn't make the last 2 hours I was too tired... So I pulled over at a rest stop and slept in my car. Thats where my sleeping bag and robe came in handy since it got really cold in my car...I even put my hat on since it was so cold.. eventually I was able to fully fall asleep but at first I kept waking up from being so cold..(just like camping the first night is always about figuring out how many layers you need to put on lol)

Ill have to put a pic of the inside of my Scion camper ;)

So before leaving I got some free hot water at the rest stop, place a tea bag, drank some before leaving since I was still pretty groggy and went (I had to get there before 2pm since the doc wanted to meet me and the other person before the procedure the next day). I got there in time (11am) but I was tired and hungry from all the traveling...so it kind of sucked having to fast that day since all I could think about was food since traveling does not always allow the best eating habits..but of course I survived...I pretty much drank tons of coconut milk with chocolate stevia to give me some energy from the fat and sugar.

I met Dr. Marks team- two cooks, an acupuncturist  one who does craniosacral and abdominal massage, and the person who prepares the FMT

If you can't go to the Oregon location for FMT

Wow...just to let you know they are all very talented in what they do! 
From the 3 days I have been here..

• A-mazingly delicious, healthy foods- They are both very experienced cooks who really know what they are doing they start slow with the fiber and each day it increases :D
• FMT - has been really easily received, Dr. Mark is really in tuned to your needs, and lets you know what is happening in the process. What I think is most important in this whole process is that he makes sure that the delivery does not hurt and he does ask throughout the process if you are ok and if it does hurt to let him know. The great part of this is that all 3 FMT's delivery's have not hurt at all! yeah!!!
• Acupuncture has been really mind opening in the first session and in the second session I felt more of the immediate results...She discovered that I have low Chi (low life force) which I totally agree since I feel that I have so many cross roads to figure out that could determine my future: what will my health outcome will be from FMT?, what should I do in my life?, Should I move back into my parents home?--I dont think I should since they really mess with my Chi... for many reasons that I wont get into...Should I write a book? etc...
• Craniosacral has been really helpful since not only is she helping release some of the damage I have had in many of my neck injuries (dog ripping off scalp when 4yrs old, landing on head in gymnastics, 3 consecutive cars accidents all 1 year after another) but whats really cool is that she was able to see who I was down literally to the bones...0_0 she said that my bones have a way of wanting to flow like a dancer she gave the example of when she was slowly stretching my jaw she said it kept on going and she eventually ran out of fingers but my jaw wanted to be stretched further so she had to move her fingers up and it had a beautiful finish like a dancer. That was amazing since I really felt as if she had seen me who I am down deep well she did down to the bones...I am definitely a person of flow... I love the moments in which I am completely consumed by flow... in those moments I discover beauty, happiness, new ideas, abilities  and new creations :)

 An example of flow could be from the other day-- I was hooping in the room I am staying at and there was a beautiful moment in which I was so in tuned with my hoop (which was bliss in itself) that I somehow was able to hoop from my back left shoulder across my back to the front of my chest and back to my back that is when I woke up from my almost trance and brought me back to reality..not only was I trying to re-create this move again in a more conscious state but whats more important is that it showed me if I just let go I can discover the possibilities within what life has to offer but to have this happen I have to be the one in control of my life and find my own bliss.

http://www.gutinstinctnutrition.net/

Double the Anthocyanins Pancakes--Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Pancakes (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Hello! sooo....I would have written this blog the day it happened but it was too much of a crazy day... figuring out what to pack for my trip up to Oregon to get FMT...I wrote a list and printed it out which I have never done before but I'm so glad I did! I dont think I forgot anything so far and I'm glad I brought some items that I wasn't sure if I should of brought: an extra thick blanket, my sleeping bag, etc... (Ill explain in a later blog :P) so yeah I was able to squeeze in making this recipe before leaving ;)

Double the Anthocyanins Pancakes!-Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Pancakes

looks good right?...

How about now? :P

Well if one of the above photos has caught your interest then keep on scrollin' to get the recipe for these--Gluten-Free and Vegan Anthocyanin Rich Pancakes ;)

Double the Anthocyanins Pancakes-Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Pancakes (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup Organic Bue Corn Meal
• 1 TBS Sweet Rice Flour
• 1 TBS Baking pwd
• 1/4 tsp Baking soda
• 1 TBS Brown Rice Syrup
• 10 drops vanilla stevia
• 1 Cup Coconut milk from a Carton (I used so delicious brand)
• 1/2 cup (Still Partially) Frozen Blueberries 
• (add cinnamon if you so please)

These turned out really good!!!

Surprisingly better than the ones sold at Mothers Market...

These pancakes are-lighter, fluffier, and overall taste better

notes:

next time I would try not using the brown rice syrup since there is already sugar in the coconut milk and if your gonna use maple syrup yeah... to lessen the amount of sugar, but seriously its not like they were super sweet its just that I am always trying to find ways to lessen sugar content and with the help of stevia it can be done ;)

A Small lesson on Bioactive/Phytonutrients and Anthocyanins!!

According to the Bioactive Compounds Class I took at Bastyr (this was a masters level class I took for fun)

• First of all for all Bioactives/Phytonutrients there is not much research on actual human cases or "in vivo" most of the studies are done "in vitro" a portion of the human body tested in a lab: a portion of human-skin, blood vessels, etc.

In vitro studies should not be thought as a direct way that the body will utilize whatever you are testing since the human body is much more complex than that and one of the reasons is based on bioavailability.

Bioavailability- How easy is it for a substance to reach its target tissue?

Bioavailability Acronymn--> LADME

L = Liberation, processes involved in the release of a compound from

its matrix.

A = Absorption, the diffusion or transport of a compound from the

site of administration into the systemic circulation (blood)

D = Distribution, the diffusion or transportation of a compound from

the intravascular (systemic circulation) to the extra-vascular space

(body tissues).

M = Metabolism, the biochemical conversion or biotransformation of

a compound.

E = Excretion, the elimination of a compound, or its metabolite, from

the body via renal-, biliary- or pulmonary processes.

As you can see there are many steps that come to just absorbing anything and potentially utilizing it...

My Cliff-Cliff notes on Anthocyanins ;) 

• Not much is known on how anthocyanins work in the human body since most of the anthocyanins are not absorbed and if they are they are excreted rapidly.
• The anthocyanins might work on a synergistic level with the nutrients in foods that contain anthocyanins or it could be just the high nutrient content in foods that contain anthocyanins its difficult to say according to the amount of research for in vivo studies.
• Foods that contain anthocyanins help prevent chronic diseases, but as I said in the above bullet point its not known how exactly this is done.

Food Energetic's Level of Anthocyanins

On a food energetic level the deep purple hue helps protect foods that contain anthocyanins from UV damage so if you look at it this way: foods that are high in anthocyanins are high in antioxidants since they have to produce a high amount to protect them from the sun (Vitamin C & E, and Manganese). If you apply this thought to how these food will have an effect on your body it will help protect your body from:

Daily stresses on your body, UV damage, and inflammation which relate to chronic diseases. 

If you found this interesting, would like to make a comment, or have any questions please leave a comment below!

http://www.gutinstinctnutrition.net/ 

The Rice Ball from the Sea!

-Slowly but surely I'm gettin' into the groove of posting!

I would have posted last night but I was too tired after meeting up at my nieces gymnastics to discuss with my sister-in-law the plans for me going up to San Francisco with them on Friday and then the rest of the way up to Portland for my FMT.

But I need to figure out if I want to leave Saturday or stay for the Saturday Party Extravaganza!!!

There will be about 3 partys going on that day (that I can remember...lol)

1. My Niece Klara's Chuck-E-Cheese B-day party

2. A Sort of Baby shower BBQ  party

3. A German Sparkle Party ;)--This one I want to go to the most but its at night :S

Why its a German Sparkle Party?

Is because the couple who is having the party are Moving to Germany for the husband to receive his education soooo...

there going to exit out in Sparkles! 

-My Sister-in-law said its going to be about 100 people in a small little loft so its gonna get crazy and probably a lot of fun :D 

-I just need to figure out if I can go and if I do should I drive a portion of the way that night to Oregon or should I sleep and then get up and go (its about 10.5-11 hour drive from san fran)? hmmmmm... ugh... decisions decisions.... 

ok back to what I made last night....I dont really know what to call it or the name of the version I had at the Japanese restaurant called it....which had flaked salmon, salmon eggs, Hijik seaweed

I wanted to try to re-create it since it was sooo good but I couldn't find all the ingredients...

Dont know what to call it...so Ill call it.... 

The Rice Ball from the Sea!

(Flaked Salmon, Seaweed, Coconut Aminos, Fish Eggs/Caviar)

So funny thing about this recipe....

I got the Caviar for Free!

-How could I get something that has the stigma as being known only to pass the lips of rich snobby people for

Free?

Well you say...

"Have you tried this?" To a Sprouts Market Employee

Employee says, "Would you like to try it?"

Me--.......Yea I would like to try it.. (looks all confused of why he is scribbling all over the bar code then hands it to me)

Employee- Here you go!

Me-- What? You are just going to give me the whole thing for free?

Employee- Yeah I dont think anyone else in the store would like to try it anyway so yeah you get the whole thing

Me--....

Employee-- Its our store policy you can try anything in the store!

Me-- Wow well thank you! (still in disbelief and feel like I need to buy something in the store now lol)

So...Yeah... I got Caviar for Free at Sprouts Market!

Thank You Spouts Ill have to come to your store more now that I know I can do this ;)

So yeah that is the back story of the Caviar ;)

The Rice Ball from The Sea 

Ingredients

• Pre-cooked Brown Rice (I made mine a little more soft by cooking it with an extra cup of water then it asked for)
• Dried seaweed (I would have preferred hijik but I had dulse)
• Canned Wild Salmon
• Coconut Aminos (Tastes sweet and salty--> soy and wheat free)
• Fish eggs (would have preferred Salmon eggs but hey I can't complain with Free Caviar right?)

Directions

1. Re-warm your brown rice in a pan
2. cook up your dried seaweed according to the package directions (this one was cook in boiling water for 2 min)
3. Add cooked seaweed to brown rice
4. Drain water from canned wild salmon then flake with fork 
5. Add flaked salmon to brown rice
6. add coconut aminos to taste to the brown rice, Salmon, and seaweed mixture
7. Cook until everything is up to the temperature you prefer 
8. place in bowls and eat as is or form a ball with your spoon (to make it fancy looking lol)
9. Top with fish eggs and Enjoy the Mineral rich salty goodness from the Sea! ;)

With a German Sparkle Party going on in the background

Enjoy!

http://www.gutinstinctnutrition.net/

Literally Instant Pudding-->Faster than Jello’s Instant Pudding also its healthier!-->Paleo and Allergy-Free

So I just made this by accident.... but I dont mind ;)

Sprinkled cinnamon on top ;)

(I also added more vanilla stevia, maple syrup, and sea salt later on to make it more dessert like)

I was just making one of the protein shake recipes that I had given you guys in the previous post from this one (Ive been switching up meals, these last two days, I've eaten dinner-like meals for breakast-today I had duck curry ;) while for dinner I have had my protein shakes) but today the shake turned out to be pudding LOL. What I did different was instead of using water I wanted to use some of my vanilla tea that I had just made.. well.... it was still kind of warm... and I guess it dissolved the gelatin.. since when I placed the ice cubes in it resulted in this: (picture below)

A big block of gelatin... so what do you do with a block of gelatin?

--You Re-blend it!!! to make Pudding! :P

This is the Amazing-Light-Fluffy-Mousse-Like-Protein-Packed-Faster-Than-Jello Pudding!

How do I know its faster than Jello's Pudding?

-Well I looked it up of course!

The Jello brand takes 5min for it to set while This Recipe is ready in Seconds!!

Recipe for Literally Instant Pudding

Ingredients:

• Use the same ingredients for my Protein-Packed-Allergy-Friendly Shake recipe which is in my previous post from this one just to let you know if the link doesn't work ;) (you can modify the recipe but just make sure you have the gelatin in there ;) )
• Hot-Warm water

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients as when making the shake but this time replace water with Hot-Warm water then blend
2. After liquid and dry ingredients are blended then add 6 Big Ice cubes blend untill smooth and creamy
3. If you wait a couple of seconds it forms the gelain block
4. If this does not happen you may need more Ice if it does form the block of gelatin proceed
5. Re-blend to fluff it up and make it into pudding!
6. Take out of blender fast since it may want to re-form again..
7. Enjoy your protein packed gut friendly pudding! ;)

-Susan Hamori, Wholistic Health Coach & Nutritionist
http://gutinstinctnutrition.net/

FMT < 2 weeks & my Gut-Healing-Allergenic-Friendly-High-in-Protein-Potentially-Paleo-Protein Shake ;)

-Yes I know I need to get more into the grove when it comes to blogging

But I swear I’m trying and I’m gonna try harder!

Especially to keep you up to date on my travels and how FMT goes 

Well as you know I have been on this crazy journey after with preparing for FMT which is coming up in less than 2 weeks now! Ahh! I’m a bit scared….

Why I am scared is that supposedly on the agreement form I signed to get this done is that its not a guarantee that it will make it better…oh that’s not the scary part…..

Its that it could make it worse! :S Gah!!! Grumble grumble….

If this was last month I wouldn’t have flinched since it was still really bad but now that I have healed so much to practically normal it just makes me second guess what I am doing…

-The main reason why I am still going to do FMT “now” is so that I can expand upon what I am able to eat because right now I do notice certain reactions if I eat foods that have been contaminated or if I get too much of one food I am sensitive to headaches, brain fog, joint pain, etc…

My theory for this reaction is similar to my idea towards why some people develop celiac disease, IBD, IBS, allergies, and all supposedly “autoimmune diseases”…

Whats awesome is that I have finally seen some research being done on this idea:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11882-012-0291-2

Even some discussion on the idea here is in this NY times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/what-really-causes-celiac-disease.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

You could probably guess that I would love to do research in this area since I have my own experience with my gut and being able to heal it (which I didn’t even know was possible; that is why I was going for FMT)

I now believe from working with the chiropractors and my own experience that a huge factor to "supposedly autoimmune attacks" are started from an imbalance within the microbiome in our gut which then leads to a leaky gut and therefore an autoimmune attack elsewhere in the body: Arthritis, MS, Celiac Disease, IBD, IBS, Alzheimer’s

like I promised I will give you another recipe this one I have practically everyday for breakfast or as a snack its my:

Gut-Healing-Allergenic-Friendly-High-in-Protein-

Potentially-Paleo-Protein Shake ;) 

Which can be made into many different flavors:

1. Chocolate milk shake
2. Dark Chocolate Decadence
3. Honey Lavender
4. Chocolate Honey Lavender 
5. Green Matcha Milk Tea
6. Root Beer Float

Basic Ingredients for all the protein shakes-

• 1 TBS-Grass fed Gelatin (I used Great Lakes brand)
• 1 tsp- Glutamine pwd
• (can omit but Extra protein boost--I just started using nutribiotic brown rice protein pwd since I discovered I do really well with brown rice now.)
• 15 drops- of either vanilla creme or chocolate sweet leaf stevia
• 2 tsp- honey or grade B maple syrup (usually use maple syrup)
• 1 good pinch of Sea Salt
• 2/3 cup filtered water*-->*Root Beer recipe use fizzy mineral water
• 1 big spoonful of coconut milk from a can (I use Natural Value brand Guar gum & BPA free-I buy it from Amazon 
• 5-7 Ice cubes (depending on your preference start with less to see how many ice cubes you like )

 The ingredients above are the ones I used to make the chocolate honey lavender version

(Chocolate) Honey Lavender ingredients

• choose honey as sweetener of choice
• 1/2 tsp of dried lavender possibly could use a couple drops of essential oil in replacement (only a couple drops NOT TSPS!!! I recommend the herb over the oil since taking the oil internally can be dangerous)
• add cocoa pwd to make chocolate version

Chocolate milk shake

• 1 TBS Cocoa Pwd
• Choose Maple Syrup as sweetener
• vanilla stevia

Dark Chocolate Decadence

• 1 TBS Cocoa pwd.
• Maple syrup as sweetener
• chocolate stevia (makes it super chocolatey ;) )
• many many many dashes of cinnamon 
• small half a cap of the vanilla's lid with vanilla extract (if your protein pwd is not vanilla flavored!)

Green Matcha Milk Tea

• 1/8-1/4 tsp of matcha green tea pwd.
• use vanilla stevia
• maple syrup as sweetener

Root Beer Float

• Root Beer Stevia
• Maple syrup as sweetener
• Use fizzy Mineral water
• use less Ice to make it more like a root beer float

Directions-

1. Place all liquid and dry ingredients in a good quality blender & blend -----(***if doing the lavender version and you dont want/can't have the fiber then blend just the water & coconut milk with the lavender first then strain it to remove the marc AKA--> herbal fiber leftovers ;) rinse blender and place coconut-water-lavender-infusion back into blender and proceed.)
2. place the amount of ice cubes you want and blend until smooth and creamy
3. place in a large glass and enjoy! (the gelatin makes a nice foam on top) *if you want it to be a creamier foam make some gelatin ahead of time! (cook gelatin in water place in fridge so it gells up) just tried this today and it was awesome!

Why is this Protein shake so good for the Gut?

Glutamine- is an amino acid that your gut lining is really greedy about since this is its main energy source so with this in mind it helps give the intestinal lining energy to be able to repair itself.

Gelatin- is a protein that helps with repairing connective tissue since its a direct source of connective tissue from other animals we are able to use this protein which is usually really lacking in American's diets (ex: skinless chicken breast) to help connect the intestinal cells back together to re-form the tight junctions.

Low in sugar, easier to digest sugar, and low glycemic- with the pairing of stevia with natural sugars that are low in fructose its easier to digest for people with FODMAPS intolerance and also helps reduce sugar spikes in the blood which creates systemic inflammation and lessens the body's ability to heal. Also if using the Grade B Maple syrup you will also be receiving many essential minerals which are lacking in most of our conventional foods today and this will help reduce inflammation as well.

Coconut Milk- Easy to digest with its medium chain fatty acids and are easily used for direct energy because of their shorter chain length. Its also great for re-balancing the flora since its fatty acid profile actually helps kill off yeast/candida and other bad bacteria/pathogens.

Sea Salt- Especially for people who have diarrhea adding some sea salt can be really helpful to help re-establish your electrolyte balance in your body and will help you feel better. It also helps lessen the amount of sweetener you need since it helps your taste buds become more sensitive. Sea salt is high many other essential minerals the one I used in this picture is pink because its high in iron.

Water- is essential for your body to properly function:

All of your biochemical reactions within your body require water as a medium without it the reactions will not easily take place.

• Most people are not hydrated so why not start off with a good dose of water!

Mild symptoms of dehydration could be-

-lethargy

-depression/anxiety

-arthritic pain

-low blood pressure

Low in allergenic profile-

It does not contain any of the top 7 allergy inducing proteins: Wheat/Gluten, Egg, Dairy, Soy, seafood, peanuts, nuts

-This is helpful in knowing since anyone who has a gut problem has a leaky gut and will be reacting to all of these which creates inflammation and prevents healing

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below or if you would like to take an extra step towards your health check out my site at GutInstinctNutrition.Net at the moment I am offering a free 50 min consultation for any of you who are interested!

Trust your Gut ;)

Susan Hamori, Wholistic Health Coach and Nutritionist

GutInstinctNutrition.Net