Updates and Greetings from California!

Hey Burlesquers,

I’m sorry I’ve been absent! But can you blame me? Vacation can be so…….amazing! I’m actually currently writing to you from my local Starbucks. I need to get some work done.

Health Update:

First, I’m happy to report that the million nutritional supplements I’m taking, along with a low gluten, sugar, and caffeine diet, has improved my condition! I look ok, right?! My hives have diminished, and I was able to stop taking antihistamines during the day. I also noticed my neck seems less swollen (this is where your thyroid is located), and my digestion feels a bit better. I am still having a bit of all of these things in my daily diet–I still have one cup of coffee a day, I occasionally have a bran muffin, and I eat low sugar ice cream for a sweet. But just these small changes made a big difference!

In fact, this is a positive learning experience for all of you with auto-immune issues: education is key! I haven’t even seen the endocrinologist yet, and I’ve already improved my condition, even if only a bit! It took days of online research (and even reading medical reports and studies), but I’m so glad I understand my condition that much more. I even bought a new, highly reviewed 5 star Paleo cookbook that I love called Practical Paleo. This book has a specific section dealing with Thyroid issues and diet! Brilliant! Who would have thought that my childhood skin condition vitiligo (that had lasting effects) would be related to, and comorbid with, thyroid issues and gluten sensitivity? I am so glad I made small changes to my lifestyle and eating habits. I don’t test as sensitive to gluten per se, but it’s best to think of an auto-immune issue attacking the thyroid as an overall condition affecting your whole body. The less your body experiences highs and lows (caused by caffeine, sugar, and grain), the less the thyroid has to work to adjust those levels and the better! I’m basically giving my thyroid a break on a daily basis. That’s right—my thyroid is permanently going to be on a mini-vacation! Cheers to that!

Daily Eats and Supplements for BB

If anyone is interested, I’ve started trying to structure my diet. I begin every day with my HBAC cereal  (remember that post? I told you I’d eat it forever!) using different variations of fruit and produce, like grated carrots with pineapple or pumpkin with apples. I also have one cup of coffee with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and a little creamer. If I go to a coffee shop like Starbucks to study, I drink only unsweetened hot or iced herbal teas, such as Starbucks’s Iced Passion Tea, mmm. For lunch, I eat, for example, homemade chicken and vegetable soup that I’ve made in advance in my slow cooker. Yesterday I used bone-in chicken thighs, fresh parsley (99 cents at the store!), lemon zest, chicken broth, spices like bay leaves and Mrs. Dash, celery, garlic, carrots, and onions to make a delicious meal! Bone broth is great for digestive issues and has a ton of minerals by the way.

On top of all of this, I’ve started converting my kitchen to a gluten-free, nutritional haven. I just bought a new organic, gluten-free flour that’s fabulous: The Pure Pantry’s All Purpose Baking Mix. I made carrot muffins with this flour, and my muffins baked up high and fluffy like any grain-based flour muffin would! I also just found a yummy gluten-free bread: Udi’s Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread. (No, seriously, my dad started eating this bread just because he likes it so much!) And I now take a bunch of nutritional supplements (that I bought at Costco, online, and at Target) to help stabilize my sugar levels, boost my metabolism, and keep me healthy. For those of you who have a SEVERE gluten allergy, take note: some supplements can be contaminated with gluten. Be careful when you purchase!

       Supplements:

Women’s One-A-Day Multi-Vitamin

Vitamin A

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin E

Selenium

Cinnamon

Magnesium

Holy Basil

Milk Thistle

Flax Oil

Blog Update:

Because of all of my lifestyles changes that I am really determined to make stick, I’ve decided to make my blog and recipes loosely based on the Paleo and Primal diets. This means I will be doing mostly gluten-free and low sugar recipes (not counting fruits and stevia). And I will try to exclusively do more savory dishes–soups, lunches, and dinners. I am still tempted by yummy sweets and all of my favorite things (Birthday cake! Smores! Ugh!), and it’s going to be best for me to avoid these foods for awhile. And let me remind everyone that I am not against these sweets at all! I just happened to have an auto-immune condition that requires a specific diet. (And honestly, I hated having hives. No joke: I’d get hot, sometimes itchy red hives on my face, and I’d have to cover them up with makeup! I’d also get hives on my neck, which occasionally looked like hickies. Strangers would constantly give me knowing looks about my apparent vice! (True story.)) It’s all just not worth it.

I’ve also given my blog a makeover with a name change and new design. I’m still the same gal (a graduate student, a burlesque baker, and an avid fan of Bones and Vampire Diaries!), but I decided my blog needed to more accurately reflect its future posts, as well as be a source of inspiration for myself! Talk to you all later then, and we’ll chat soon!

BB

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