Pro inflammatory foods

I'm still doing research on which type of eating is best for managing pain and inflammation. It seems that fried foods, starchy foods, and sugary foods all promote inflammation in the body. I found this list online and it's a good place to start if you are trying to decrease inflammatory foods in your diet. I am going to try to eliminate or reduce my consumption of these foods:

Bagels

Breads, rolls, baked goods

Candy

Cake

Cookies

Cereals (except old fashioned oatmeal)

Cornstarch

Corn bread, corn muffins

Corn syrup

Crackers

Croissants

Doughnuts

Egg rolls

Fast food

French Fries

Fruit juice—choose the fruit instead

Fried foods

Flour

Granola

Hard cheese (except for feta and grating cheeses, such as Romano and Parmesan)

Honey

Hot dogs

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ices

Jams, jellies and preserves

Margarine

Molasses

Muffins

Noodles

Pancakes

Pastry

Pie

Pita bread

Pizza

Pasta

Popcorn

Potatoes

Pudding

Relish

Rice

Sherbet

Shortening

Snack foods, including: potato chips, pretzels, corn chips, rice and corn cakes, etc.

Soda

Sugar

Tacos

Tortillas

Waffles

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Perricones-List-of-Pro-Inflammatory-Foods#ixzz1p1pfml8O

Comfort foods made healthier

Part of my way of getting back into the swing of things has been to cook more at home. I modified recipes I found on the internet to make these dishes. Enjoy!

Turkey Enchiladas:
Sauce:
8 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 onions, cut into chunks
cloves from 2 bulbs or garlic
1 TB + 1 tsp chili powder
1 TB + 1 tsp cumin
pinch of salt
dash of black pepper
half a bunch of cilantro, diced
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup water

Filling:
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 can unsalted diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper, diced
1 portobello mushroom, diced
1 large can diced green chiles
2 tsp cumin
1 TB + 1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
pan spray
healthy tortillas: I used La Tortilla Factory low carb tortillas
Reduced fat shredded cheese
2 TB diced cilantro
Fat free sour cream

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with pan spray. Place tomatoes, onions, and garlic on the sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the onion are golden brown. Transfer to a blender, add the spices, cilantro, olive oil, and water to the blender, and puree til smooth. Set aside.

2) Coat a skillet with pan spray. Cook the ground turkey, diced tomatoes, pepper, mushroom, chiles, and spices together until the juice from tomatoes and chiles has evaporated and the meat is fully cooked. 

3) Spray a large baking dish with pan spray. Fill each tortilla with a few spoonfuls of the turkey/veggie mix and top with 1/8 cup of cheese. Place the enchiladas seam side down in the pan, top with sauce, and add another 1/4 cup of cheese and 2 TB diced cilantro on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until sauce bubbles.

Top with fat free sour cream and enjoy! Each enchilada has about 175 calories and is very filling. My love said if these were the only enchiladas he ate for the rest of his life, he'd be ok with that! :)

Vegan No Bake Cookies:
1 ripe banana, mashed
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 bar Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate (or 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/2 cup soy, rice, or almond milk (vanilla or unsweetened)
1/2 cup peanut butter
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats

1) Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute.
2) Remove from heat, and add the vanilla and oats. Stir well to combine.
3) Drop by the spoonful on wax paper or foil, and cool to room temperature. (Or enjoy warm for a gooey treat.)

These weren't as sweet as original no bakes, had a different texture (they didn't harden up as much), and you could definitely taste the banana, but I liked them a lot. I felt good enjoying a treat that was made with such wholesome ingredients. My love didn't think they were sweet enough so you could increase the agave up to one cup if you wanted a sweeter cookie (he said they tasted too much like dark chocolate). Making 20 cookies from the recipe, each cookie has about 160 calories.

Back in the saddle again

me at age 2

Well friends, it's been a crazy eight months. Between a promotion at work, a new romance, moving, and settling into new routines, the blog took the back burner. Unfortunately, my health did too.

Have you ever seen the episode of How I Met Your Mother where Barney and Robin are dating and realize they've totally let themselves go? Robin doesn't shower anymore; Barney gains a bunch of weight. They've got a serious case of "relationship gut". Well my friends, it appears relationship gut does exist and happens to the best of us. Between the cocktails and dinners out when we started dating, to the beer and takeout at home when we got more settled, my new love and I both got the gut.

I was also at a bit of an impasse with my disease. Being a dietitian I've always wanted to try and manage my disease with my diet, but there is so much conflicting information out there. Do I do low starch, but miss out on the phytonutrients and antioxidants from eliminating some fruits and veggies? And what does eating all of that animal protein do to my cholesterol? (ps - my cholesterol went up when following low starch) Or, do I embrace a gluten free, vegan lifestyle? Do I quit cooking food all together and go raw? Or is it best to follow the tried and true dietitian mantra of "all foods in moderation"? My head was swirling with options, and even my fellow dietitian friends couldn't agree on which would be the best path for me.

Also during this time my insurance plan had changed and my deductible skyrocketed. This meant that I could no longer afford my Humira injections. Unfortunately, I didn't qualify for the Humira assistance program, but I definitely couldn't afford the $1500 a month injections. It became very painful to exercise, so I stopped. Some days it hurt so bad getting out of bed that I cried. The last thing I wanted to do in that state of being was hit the gym.

I've gained back every pound I lost, plus a few extra. I had been feeling a combination of depressed, disappointed, and embarrassed. Honestly, I was avoiding blogging because I felt like a complete and utter failure. Then through a series of conversations with my friends and my love, I realized I'm only human, and certainly not the first person to gain back lost weight.

So here it is, early March, on the cusp of Spring. Seems like a good time for new beginnings.

The first thing everyone agrees on for managing arthritic pain is maintaining a healthy weight, so that is what I am focusing on most. I'm back at bootcamp, cooking more meals at home, and tracking my caloric intake with the help of the My Fitness pal app for my iPhone (which I love and highly recommend). I'm trying to drink more water and less alcohol, eat a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner, and take into account how much exercise I've done when deciding if I want a treat. With the help of these changes, I've managed to lose ten pounds in the last three weeks.

I know it will take me a while to get back into a routine, and I'm still not sure which diet is best for arthritis, but I had to start somewhere. Thanks again for joining me on my journey. Yee haw.

starch and candida and inflammation, oh my!

As most of you know, I'm a dietitian. I spent the past three days at the Washington State Dietetic Association annual conference, and my head is swimming with new knowledge about vitamins, plant based diets, and dietary interventions to combat inflammation, amongst other things. Though several of the topics didn't exactly apply directly to someone suffering from say, A.S., it did set my mind a reeling.

You see, following the very low starch diet has been kind of mentally taxing for me over the past few months. Aside from the moral implications of eating so much animal product (though I try when I can afford it to buy meats that are locally and sustainably raised and humanely slaughtered - more on that to come), I've been wondering how all of this animal product is effecting my insides. As a dietitian we've read the studies about links between high levels of saturated fats in the diet and their correlations with elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular events. We've also recommended plant based diets for their health benefits, such as decreasing cholesterol, increasing insulin sensitivity, and decreasing body weight.

Therefore, I'm in a bit of a pickle following a diet where I can't even eat most fruits. It's fruit for Pete's sake! However, I did lose weight while on the low starch diet. But I also ate less packaged foods and possibly was consuming fewer calories overall. What a conundrum.

I was missing carbs something fierce, so I gradually started adding back in some starches over the past few months. I was missing legumes so much that I was literally dreaming about hummus. I've also had some delicious sweet potatoes, pineapple, watermelon, and split pea soup. It all tasted a-mazing!

I started this starch free quest to combat candida (i.e. yeast) and the thing is, the candida is still lingering, even with very low starch consumption. And some of my R.D. friends who struggle with candida say that while yeast does need sugar to thrive outside of the body, internally our bodies regulate our blood sugars so closely that decreasing sugar and starch intake may not be an effective way of combating candida overgrowth. Oy! Turns out it might be more related to stress and inadequate sleep!

I don't claim to have the answers here, but I think for now I'm sticking to eating fewer carbohydrates, and choosing gluten free starches when I do choose to eat carbs. I think it's also a good idea for me to steer away from packaged foods most of the time and try to either cook foods myself or order more whole foods when dining out. I also have heard research that supports adding Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants for decreasing inflammation, and with this autoimmune disease I'm living in a state of inflammation. (Another thing I learned at the convention: women with inflammatory diseases can have a more difficult time conceiving. I'm not ready for babies yet but sheesh! Time to get this stuff figured out.) Therefore I'm going to make an effort to eat more fish (Omega 3's) and brightly colored fruits and veggies (antioxidants).

One thing that is clear is that one should always try to get nutrients from foods rather than supplements, although some supplementation with probiotics, vitamin D, and even fish oil can be helpful. If you are taking a multivitamin, only take one kind and try one that only has 100% of the nutrients, in order to avoid toxicity.

I'm also going to make a solid effort to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and work on managing my stress levels. Plus one of my girlfriends who has battled candida issues has a supplement that has worked for her that she's going to email me about. I'll post on that once I've tried it out.

I guess the message here is that each person's individual situation is different from everyone else's, so what works for one person may be more or less effective in others. The body is truly a fascinating and mysterious thing. Therefore, I guess we have to be informed, hope for the best and tweak accordingly.

Best of luck, friends!

Jingle all the Way!

Two years ago I was diagnosed with AS: Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's a disease that worsens over time and left untreated can cause my spine to fuse, resulting in the appearance of a hunchback.

 I've decided that instead of feeling sorry for myself, I wanted to try and change my life and support others who are also suffering from this debilitating disease. Through this effort I have followed a strict diet that improves my symptoms, have become better at loving myself, and have started this blog. To continue in this effort, I have decided to start a team for the 2010 Seattle Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis.

The Jingle Bell Run is put on by the Northwest chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. According to the website, "funds raised support critical arthritis research, public health efforts and public policy initiatives."


I'm all about doing exercise for a cause, especially when you can dress up! People dress up in costume for the Jingle Bell Run, tying jingle bells to their sneakers and wearing red and green antlers. I'm thinking of wearing a sequined Santa hat!

The real goal of this effort though is to spread awareness of my disease and to raise funds for research. I'm more than happy to give myself shots every two weeks and continue following my diet if it is the only option to help me fight this disease, but I would loooooove to hear that a cure has been found. I'm really not all that fond of needles...

  

To join my team, submit a secure donation, or just find out more info about the event, please visit my team website: http://seattlejinglebellrun.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=419456&lis=0&kntae419456=913A2169A92C4E59A96BBE39566E3F71

Let's get into the holiday spirit and kick some AS! Thanks for your support!

when in doubt, throw it out

I love roller coasters. I love the feeling of my stomach taking a gigantic lurch as I plummet downwards, jerking from side to side, and flipping upside down. This surprises me a bit, since I am typically not someone who likes to feel out of control. It's one of the reasons why I'm typically a two drink wonder when I go out with friends (well, that and I get tipsy pretty easily).

Despite my preference for feeling in control I still enjoyed sugar, and sugar used to make me feel really out of control. In high school my friend Laura's mom would make the best chocolate chip cookies whenever I came over. She knew how much I loved them, and while we were hanging out she would bring us a plate full of cookies fresh out of the oven. Laura and her sisters would each eat a cookie or two, and I'd eat three or four. Sometimes when I spent the night I would even creep into the kitchen before bed and eat a few more cookies. I couldn't help it - I wanted more.

I would also experience what I liked to refer to as "dessert amnesia", where I'd eat lunch, then have a treat afterwards. Then around 2pm I'd start wanting a treat and think to myself "have I had dessert today? I don't think I have." So then I'd eat another treat. I'd crave dessert again around 4pm, and again after dinner. Each time I would forget that I'd already eaten dessert. The cravings would keep on coming, despite the fact that I would satiate them most of the time. 

I've heard that eating sugar activates the same area of the brain that is effected by heroin, and it elicits a similar response. This could explain why even though I tried to just eat one cookie or one piece of chocolate, I would keep coming back for more. Just like a heroin addict I would need more and more of my drug of choice to keep me satisfied.

Once I started the no starch diet I started to feel more in control. As my readers might have noticed, I do have a sweet tooth so I have several recipes where I've tried to create something like a dessert without using sugar. When I eat these treats I don't feel like I need to keep eating whatever I've made until it's gone. I enjoy some, and then come back to it later. It's a totally new concept for me.

All of this hard work went awry when I discovered sugar free chocolate. I can't remember when exactly I decided to first try sugar free candy. I quickly discovered that there are all sorts of varieties, and they all taste delicious. Each package of sugar free candy contained about 12-16 bite sized individually wrapped treats. Unfortunately, each time I bought a package I would eat one piece, then another and another, until the entire package was gone in one sitting. They tasted so good that I couldn't seem to stop.

I kept buying more of the candy. I tried sugar free Dove chocolates, York mints, and Reese's peanut butter cups. I tried Werther's, red vines, and caramels. I even tried sugar free chocolate covered peanuts and almonds. And here's the gross part: each time I ate these products I would experience gastrointestinal discomfort shortly afterwards. (And by gastrointestinal discomfort I mean gas, bloating, and even diarrhea. No good.) That's because all of these products contained maltitol, a sugar alcohol.

Consuming sugar alcohols in excess can often have a laxative effect on the digestive system. And because sugar alcohols such as maltitol are not as sweet as sugar, candy makers need to use more of the maltitol to get the same sweetness they would have gotten from sugar. That makes it pretty easy to consume an excess amount. I researched maltitol and apparently not only is it the worst sugar alcohol in terms of experiencing adverse GI effects, it also still contains carbs! So not only was I putting my body through GI hell, I was still ingesting carbs and feeding the persistent yeast in my gut. Oh crap.

This also might be why I regained a pound a half of the weight I have lost so far during the challenge. I realized I'm not going to kill off the yeast, heal my gut, and win 400 bucks by continuing to eat maltitol laced sugar free candy. That's when I reached this conclusion: when in doubt, throw it out. Even though eating the sugar free candy made me feel disgusting, I kept buying the stuff. Today, I threw it all away. In my house I currently had sugar free ice cream, sugar free Dove chocolates, and sugar free chocolate from Trader Joe's. It all went into the trash.

Tomorrow, I'm turning over a new leaf. This journey I'm on is about wellness, and about being the best version of myself that I can. It's about doing the most loving things for myself, and about supporting healthy behaviors. It's also a learning experience. We are all flawed human beings, and sometimes we make mistakes. The important thing is to realize our errors and do what it takes to get back on the right track.

In the past, I would make excuses for myself. "I deserve a treat, because I've had a hard day." "A few bites of this won't hurt me." "My family is overweight, so it's only expected that I'll struggle with weight gain too." Now I'm sick of making excuses. I'm sick of accepting a mediocre version of myself. I want to be great.

To quote my Lululemon water bottle "Successful people replace the words 'wish' 'should' and 'try' with 'I will'." Therefore, I've decided that I will kick the sugar habit. I will give up sugar free chocolate and maltitol. I will live a more healthful, better life. I will lose again the weight I regained, and keep losing weight until I hit my goal. I will do loving things for my body. I will love all of me, not just the good parts. I will do everything in my power to fight this disease. I will fight, and I will win. 

AS support groups and Peanut Flour Pancakes!

As I've been on this AS journey of learning about and coping with a crazy sounding disease, I've tried to find ways to connect with other AS sufferers. I found a support group website called www.KickAS.org, which seems to be the #1 support group for those who have AS (over 7,000 members!). It's an international website with tons of discussion forums and good information which was helpful for me when I was first diagnosed. I joined up but was still looking for more ways to connect, so I researched AS on facebook, figuring there was bound to be some sort of something on there. (I mean, isn't that kind of what facebook's all about?) That's how I found the Ankylosing Spondylitis - Find a Cure! page.

Since part of the purpose of writing this blog is to reach others who also have this disease, I've been posting a few links to my blog on there. Through posting these links I've gotten great questions and ideas for new recipes. One person asked about starch free flour, because they love pancakes. I had kind of gotten used to a pancake-free existence, but then I thought, why not?

I had recently found some peanut flour at my local Trader Joe's ($3.99 for one pound) and decided to get cooking. I adapted the following recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook's buttermilk pancake recipe. I was going to use buttermilk but realized mine was expired, so I just used 1%. They turned out delicious!

Peanut Flour Pancakes and maple syrup:
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 TB stevia in the raw + 2 Truvia packets
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 TB melted butter
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine peanut flour, stevia in the raw, Truvia, and baking powder. Set aside.

Combine egg, milk, and butter. Stir in xathan gum and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture. (It will look quite a bit like peanut butter.)

Heat your skillet on medium, add a drizzle of canola oil or a pat of butter, and cook. Cook pancakes until sides begin to firm and small bubbles start to form. Flip.

Syrup:
Whisk 1 c stevia in the raw into 1/2 cup boiling water until melted. Bubbles will form and then stevia will dissolve. Add 1/4 tsp maple extract. Serve warm.

Surprisingly, the pancakes didn't taste overwhelmingly like peanuts. Also, the syrup will be much more watery than regular syrup and slightly more bitter. I put peanut butter on top of my pancakes to cut the bitterness and enhance the peanut flavor and it tasted great. I'm sure this recipe would work equally well with any nut flour.

Enjoy!

No starch diet on a budget!

My mom is a frugal gal. When she goes shopping she's a coupon clipping, discount hunting woman on a mission. My dad, on the other hand, is more of an impulse buyer. He enjoys giving big gifts, and when he sees something he wants, he usually buys it. Somehow I ended up being a mix of the two: I'm a compulsive discount shopper, which usually means I end up with a lot of cheap crap. I enjoy my Citizen jeans as much as the next girl, I just buy three pairs from Buffalo Exchange or Nordstrom Rack instead of one full priced pair from Nordstrom. I enjoy a good rummage through the Goodwill, love shopping at Target, and definitely indulge in plenty of retail therapy. Despite the fact that I usually buy items on sale, I still am not very good at actually saving money. I've tried to turn this around during the last year, and for the first time in my life, I'm attempting being on a budget.

My grocery budget is $50 per week. As with managing this diet, some weeks are much better than others. When I was first put on the no starch diet I went way over my budget because I was trying to figure out what and how to eat. Here's the facts about this diet: packaged stuff made without starch usually isn't that cheap. Regardless of what your personal beliefs are about the Farm Bill, high fructose corn syrup, etc, the fact of the matter is that farmers are paid to overproduce corn, which means that modified food starch, corn starch, and high fructose corn syrup end up being the cheap additives that find their way into nearly everything. If you shop at natural foods stores, sugar still finds it's way into products via "evaporated cane juice" or agave nectar, and the starch is frequently tapioca or potato based, but it's still there. This makes searching for anything pre-made without sweetener and/or modified food starch a giant pain in the neck.

Because of the frustration over trying to find anything pre-made that I could eat and also because I enjoy cooking, I've spent more time trying to make food at home. However, I am a woman on the go and sometimes a girl's gotta find something quick to eat. As a result of my ongoing quest for convenience foods I can eat, I wrote a blog a while back entitled "No Starch Diet Staples." See this for some items I've found and enjoy: http://crystalaskicker.blogspot.com/2010/07/no-starch-diet-staples.html


Here's some basics that usually find their way onto my grocery list:
Produce: apples, frozen berries, avocados, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, salsa/pico de gallo
Baking: vanilla bean or good quality vanilla extract, Truvia packets, Stevia in the Raw, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, unsweetened coconut, unsweetened chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, peanut flour, xanthan gum
Meat: frozen chicken breasts/tenders, sausage (without added sugar, of course), skirt steak
Dairy/Eggs: 1% milk, heavy whipping cream, butter, buttermilk, eggs, cheese, string cheese
Other: peanut butter, nuts, canned diced tomatoes, Biggest Loser protein powder, mustard, The Ojai Cooks Lemonaise, coffee, Talking Rain sparkling water, applesauce, fruit leather

The trick for maintaing this diet and your budget simultaneously lies is being creative. For example, I didn't use to be someone who enjoyed leftovers. Now I rely on them. I also have figured out how to use the same product in a variety of different ways.

At a recent trip to Winco I bought the following:
Coconut milk, eggs, frozen blueberries, limes, bell peppers, tomatoes, avocados, Alfresco brand spinach and feta sausage, diced green chiles, skirt steak, spinach, Bolthouse Farms vanilla latte protein drink, and Talking Rain. I spent $30. With some creativity and using some ingredients I already had at home, I created several different meals from these basic ingredients.

Breakfast Ideas:
Some days for breakfast I eat some string cheese and a handful of nuts, or I drink some Bolthouse Farms protein drink and eat some berries. Other days I feel creative and make something.

Mushroom and Sausage Scramble: saute 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms and 1 diced sausage link in 1 tablespoon butter. Mushrooms and sausage should be lightly browned on both sides. Add 1 egg and 1/2 ounce cheese. Scramble together. Top with 1/2 avocado, diced.

Smoothie: Combine in blender: 1 cup milk, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 avocado, 2 scoops protein powder, 1 packet Truvia




Lunch/Dinner Ideas:

Sometimes I will heat up a sausage link and top it with some shredded cheese and salsa, or I will make egg salad at home and eat it plain or on top of some spinach. When I make something for lunch/dinner, I usually make something for dinner that I can serve atop greens later as a salad or eat as leftovers for lunch.

Mexican Steak Saute/Salad: Cut 4oz of skirt steak into thin strips. Marinade steak in the juice and zest of 1 fresh lime, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste, 1 small can of diced green chiles, drained, and 1/2 cup salsa/pico de gallo. Saute steak with diced bell peppers. Top with shredded cheese, diced tomato, and avocado. Eat as is, or serve atop spinach.

Italian Sausage Stir-fry: Dice 1 bell pepper, 1/2 onion, and 1 crown of broccoli (optional). Saute in olive oil, until the veggies start to soften. Add 2 chopped sausage links, 1/4 cup diced sundried tomatoes, 1/2 jar diced artichoke hearts, drained (optional), and 1/2 can diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes, until liquid is mostly evaporated and the mixture is thick.
Serve topped with shredded parmesan cheese. I enjoyed mine with a a No Starch Lemon Drop (mix 1 shot vodka with diet lemonade)

Enjoy! More creative recipes to come!

Tri something new

I have always loved the water. When I was a kid I would run towards the ocean, arms outstretched, ready to embrace the surf. (My brother on the other hand was always afraid that crabs would bite his toes off.) I would delight in splashing around and jumping over waves. But that's about as far as it went because as much as I loved the water, I didn't know how to swim.

I took swim lessons at least two different times as a kid. I could stay afloat and keep myself from drowning, but every time I tried to put my face in the water to do the crawl I would start to feel claustrophobic and panic. One time I even hyperventilated. As an adult I pretty much doggie paddle. I can do the back stroke and side stroke, and I've discovered I can swim small distances with breast stroke arms and a flutter kick. I still can't put my face under water for more than about 5 seconds, though.

All of this swim talk is because despite of my lack of swimming ability, I am doing the Danskin Triathlon this weekend! I have to swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles, and run a 5K. I've been practicing my swimming and have improved somewhat, but I'm a little nervous for the swimming portion of the Tri.

I'm also a little nervous about nourishing my body during the event. I did the Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon last year and I drank electrolyte enhanced flavored water and ate sports gels, both of which are completely loaded with sugar and starch. Since I'm anticipating the Tri will take me about 2.5 hours, I'm definitely going to need some portable no starch fuel for my body.

Here's my plan: I've loaded up on some raw almonds, dehydrated blueberries, and fruit leather. I'm hoping the combination of the protein from the nuts and natural carbohydrate from the blueberries and fruit leather will give me the energy I need to perform my best. The last thing I wanted to do was consume a bunch of starch laden gels and drinks and wind up with fatigue and digestive issues during the triathlon. Stretch Island's raspberry fruit leather only uses apple, pear, and raspberry puree plus some lemon juice, so it's definitely ok for us folks on the no starch diet. (Hooray!) I plan on drinking just straight up water, but I'll take a mulltivitamin with minerals first.



I've been training by swimming, biking, and jogging in addition to my regular cardio routine. This week though I've backed off a bit from my typical routine. Yesterday I went to a Bikram yoga class, and it was amazing. Bikram is hot yoga, and you do the same series of 26 poses each time. It makes me sweat literally everywhere, and I feel clean and full of vitality afterwards. I definitely recommend yoga for anyone with AS or chronic back pain, as it has helped strengthen my lower back and improve my flexibility.



After Bikram I feel like I have been cleaned inside and out, so salad was a natural choice for dinner last night. Here's a delicious no starch salad.

Spinach with apples, goat cheese, and blackberry balsamic:

Combine spinach, diced apples, herbed goat cheese, and chopped pecans.
Top with Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.



Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Combine equal parts Blackberry balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I use Bistro Blends blackberry balsamic from Pike Place Market. Add a dash of salt and pepper, and some diced shallots. Whisk together.

Enjoy!

Thai chicken and celebration

I have had a great last few days. For starters, I played soccer last Thursday night with Emily, which I haven't done in a few years. Emily and I are friends because of soccer. We met because we played on the same team in the 5th grade, and we've been best friends ever since. It felt great to be cheering her on, kicking the ball, defending the goal, and running around until I felt like my lungs would pop out of my chest. I exercise a lot but nothing works me out like soccer. I felt exhilarated and happy tired afterwards. Plus not only did we win, but I got some pretty gnarly new bruises that made me feel rough and tough.

Over the weekend, my cousin got married. I was honored to be a bridesmaid and I had so much fun hanging out with my family. I hadn't seen my dad since January because he lives on the other side of the state. So this weekend I got some much-needed hugs from dad, not to mention some amazing compliments and confidence boosters. (If someone hasn't seen you since you were three sizes bigger, it tends to create a bit of a stir.)

And that brings me to the big news: the challenge I mentioned a few blogs ago started today. There are 8 of us ladies trying to lose weight. We each put in 50 bucks and the one who has lost the highest percentage of body weight at the end of 12 weeks wins the $400 pot. Our first weigh in was today and... drumroll please... I have officially lost over 40 pounds since December! Boo yah! You can bet I did a little dance and had Queen's "We are the Champions" playing in my mind.

Just to recap:
Me in December vs. me today


Losing weight and keeping it off has been a lifelong struggle for me, and being on the no starch diet has helped me bust through a plateau. Also, losing weight has definitely helped my AS symptoms. The exercise/diet/weight loss trifecta has really been amazing for my overall well-being, as being on the diet has helped me feel less fatigued and bloated which in turn gives me more energy to exercise. The exercise helps my back feel stronger and less stiff, and carrying less weight on my 5'5" frame has definitely lessened the achiness in my lower spine.

Other big news this week: I am excited to report that I figured out a no starch version of Thai food! If Mexican food is my most favorite cuisine then Thai is a very close second. I have missed phad see ew, red curry, and chicken satay. I got a wicked hankering for some chicken with peanut sauce yesterday and decided to go for it. That's how this recipe was born.

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce, Cucumber, and Cilantro:



Peanut Sauce:

1/3 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp wheat free tamari
juice and zest of 1/2 fresh lime
1 TB minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
dash of chili powder

Whisk all ingredients together.


Saute together:
1/2 cup chopped portobello mushroom
1/2 cup bean sprouts
4 sliced chicken breasts
Peanut Sauce mixture



Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 1/2 cup chopped cucumber and 1/4 cup chopped cabbage.



Enjoy!

no starch diet staples

I grew up always having at least one dog around the house. Living on my own in the city I haven't been able to afford having a dog of my own. Therefore, I'm stoked to be dog sitting this weekend for a friend. I'm hanging out with a super cute one and a half year old German Shepherd puppy named Malu.



Before heading over to my friend's house I stopped by the local PCC for some staples. While I do like to make most of my foods from scratch these days, I have found a few pre-made/packaged items I really like. I hope these products will be helpful for any of you attempting a no starch diet. I'm adding pics so you'll know what to look for on the shelves (and because I like to photograph my food - it's fun).

-Applegate Farms herb turkey breast
-Hempler's natural uncured sundried tomato chicken sausage



-The Ojai cooks Latin Lemonnaise
-Organic Valley heavy cream



-Westbrae Naturals unsweetened ketchup
-Bare Fruit granny smith apple chips



-Ghirardelli unsweetened 100% cacao
-Vosges Haut Chocolat Sugar Free Barcelona bar



-Zevia ginger root beer
-Zevia black cherry soda



-Talking Rain sparkling mineral water
-Republic of Tea Coconut Cocoa Tea



And of course, some whole food staples:
-Unsweetened coconut
-Raw almonds
-Apples
-Pears
-Fresh seasonal berries



From these staples I made a breakfast of raspberries topped with a drizzle of heavy cream, unsweetened coconut, and some chopped almonds. For lunch I had a chicken sausage dog topped with homemade ranch using Latin Lemonnaise and unsweetened ketchup, with some bare fruit chips on the side. I drank a zevia soda and had some sugar free chocolate for dessert.





Now the sunshine is out and there are sailboats on Lake Union so Malu and I are off for a walk! Happy grocery shopping!

a little bit of comfort

I'm mostly an upbeat, positive kind of gal. But every once in a while, I get a case of the funks. Take this morning for example: I woke up early with every intention of doing a kickboxing workout. I really love kickboxing because I'm kind of a wuss and it makes me feel like a bad ass tough girl. However, once I rolled out of bed and started moving around, I realized all was not well in Crystal land. My back is really hurting today. I'm due for my next injection tomorrow and sometimes I get really stiff and sore as my previous dose runs low in my body. I have some prescription pain meds to use in cases like these, but I try not to use them unless I'm in quite a bit of pain. (Sorry for the Debbie Downer intro. In trying to be honest through this blog process, I'm sharing my experiences on good days as well as not so great ones.)

When I'm feeling a little on the crappy side, I like to treat myself to something I enjoy to try to pick my spirits up. I usually like to lounge around a bit in some comfy sweats and an oversized sweatshirt I inherited from an ex-boyfriend. I also like to watch something fun on tv, such as reruns of Law and Order: SVU. For back pain I like to roll around on my therapeutic foam roller purchased from my physical therapist. And in my previous, carb-loving life, I would chow down on a piece of heavily buttered toast with extra jelly and some homemade hot cocoa.

A lot of the foods typically known as "comfort foods" contain high levels of starch and sugar. As I have mentioned before, I wasn't as much into the high fat, southern type of comfort foods like fried chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes. My comfort foods were things like brownies, ice cream, and hot cocoa. It's kind of difficult to concoct something resembling a homemade chocolate chip cookie without using any starch or sugar, but I have created a tasty sugar-free, starch-free hot cocoa:


Heat 1.5 cups of milk in a saucepan over medium heat
Microwave another 1/2 cup of milk for 20 seconds
Whisk 4 heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder into the microwaved milk. I like to use Saco Premium Cocoa.



Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 3 packets of Truvia or other stevia sweetener
Combine the cocoa mix into the milk warming on the stove.
Whisk it all together and heat to desired warmth.



Pour into your favorite mug, snuggle on the couch, and enjoy! I savored my cocoa while watching some SVU and you know what? I think my day is looking up already.