Everything in moderation

I talk a lot about health, exercise, being healthy, and, in particular, juicing.  This morning as I prepared to make my juice I thought my pile of produce looked so pretty that I decided to take a picture...and then decided I would just show you what juicing really looks like.

My mom found Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix last year.  She mentioned it to me.  I watched it and was very inspired because of my autoimmune diseases.  But also because I just want to be healthy and feel good. 

Let's just be very clear here... I AM A JUNK FOOD JUNKIE AT HEART!  If I could be healthy and just eat chips and a beer for dinner, I would.  I absolutely adore cooking.  I absolutely abhor dishes.  I am passionate about fashion and love to have my clothes fit and feel really good.  I was always thin..at times too skinny..until my autoimmune stuff started in my early twenties.  And as I went through my pregnancies in my twenties, I found myself struggling more and more with my weight and my health.  By the time I was 28, I was having severe indigestion and intermittent gall bladder pain and my thyroid was no longer functioning.  By the time I was 37, I had been on numerous medications and I had my gall bladder out and I just felt unhealthy.  I have followed numerous diets..low fat, no sugar, high protein..you name it, I probably tried it.  I also had success to a certain degree.  When the clock turned to the new millenium, I knew I could no longer eat white flour.  I didn't know why.  I figured out by process of elimination that white flour made me feel very sick.  I continued to complain to doctors that I just didn't feel well.  I didn't know why.  I just didn't.  In 2008, I had two surgeries back to back.  One was a double upper abdominal hernia repair.  And the other was to place my BAHA.  I believe those two surgeries saved my life because they flared my autoimmune diseases.  I finally found a new endocrinoogist who saw something else going on with me..unlike all the others who simply checked my thyroid and said I was fine.  My new doctor found Hashimoto's which is what destroyed my thyroid, positive ANA bloodwork for Celiac (or gluten intolerance), and Sjogren's Syndrome which attacks your exocrine system..all the glands in your body that secret things like tears and saliva. It falls in the category with rheumatoid arthritis, schleraderma, or lupus and it mimics multiple schlerosis.  And that is where my journey with healthy food really begins.

Why juicing?... because from what I understand..juicing makes the wonderful enzymes in produce permeate your body at the cellular level within 15 minutes of ingestion.  And having been juicing for awhile, I can tell you that I feel good physically and emotionally when I juice.  Sjogren's causes flares with extreme fatigue..and it is energy that I seek and get from juicing.  It is also great nutrition which I feel can keep me off of traditional medications. 

spinach, celery, apple, carrot, kale, parsley, and lemon

We have two Jack LaLanne juicers...work great and easy to clean...he was the epitomy of health...

spinach first...or leafy things first...bunch them up in a tight ball



spinach coming out...very dark green and not a huge amount of juice but awesome nutrition

and I also put the parsley through following the spinach... parsley is full of chlorophyll which cleanses your intestines and gives you great breath!

carrot next to wash the spinach through the juicer..carrots produce a lot of juice and add sweetness

celery..it is my favorite to juice and is a natural diuretic...great if you are have fluid retention

and apple to wash it all through the juicer... an apple a day ;)

lemon adds a wonderful brightness (we don't put the peel through)



all of that produce makes 2 cups... we drink 2 cups per person at least per meal...which if we are really juicing a lot would be 3 or 4 times a day

very green...but tastes wonderful!  we use straws...we just like to

And I usually have some sort of healthy protein with my juice..this morning it was farm fresh eggs..we have a superb organic source

I wash my produce and do very little prep...cut off ends of carrot but no peeling...take seeds out of the apple...wash grapes only and put the whole bunch through...that's about it.  Putting the produce through the juicer takes a minute or two.  Then I quickly disassemble the juicer and rinse it very well while I drink my juice.  We wash the juicer with soap at the last use of the day.  That just seems to work the best for us...or we put all the parts in the dishwasher.

Don't get me wrong..everything in moderation.  I will still enjoy my chips and a beer for dinner every now and then.  And I will go out to eat or enjoy my chocolate when I choose.  But that's the most important point.  I can have what I want when I choose and just be okay and I can also choose to eat healthy or not eat at all if I don't feel like it.  And I can also choose to reboot and cleanse my system for a couple weeks if I want which is what I am currently doing in anticipation for Easter dinner.  I am looking forward to cooking for my family and them doing the dishes!! 

Juicing helps me not worry about food...what I will eat..or how my clothes will fit.  :)

Matthew 6: 24-26  Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?



God Bless,

love,

Monica

Don't blow my cover....

I haven't felt particularly inspired to write for quite awhile. I usually find inspiration when I'm on my bike...and considering this very warm winter we are having... I should be on my bike.  But I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and how much it meant to me during the deployment.  And now that the deployment is behind us I've contemplated creating something new...except I love my Pugh sitters here.  And so, while we are still a military family, you will start finding me write more about our daily lives...all kinds of things, actually. 

Many of you may not know that our daughter-in-law, Sarah, has celiac disease and is allergic to wheat and I am also gluten intolerant....well, they diagnosed me with celiac, too. But I'm still slightly in denial. For the past three years I have been on a hunt for recipes and spent many hours searching for ways to eat our favorite things gluten free.  Quite frankly, eating gluten free and reading every label for wheat allergens (including shampoos and the like), really sucks the life out of the cake and gravy! But never fear...we have recently had much success.  And I see delish cakes and cookies in our future!  While it is difficult, I can tell you that living gluten free has really changed my health and saved Sarah's life.  So it is all worth it for sure. 

While Eric was deployed, I learned I needed to be even more cautious with label reading.  I had been avoiding breads and all of the obvious gluten items.  But, I hadn't been reading all of the fine print for myself.  Turkey and sour cream are two examples that a person might think they don't have to worry about.  But modified food starch, unless it is labeled corn, is made from wheat.  And it is used often as a thickener or flavor enhancer.  Who knew? 

Also, having celiac disease and being allergic to wheat are two different things.  I am not allergic to wheat.  What I have is like being diabetic..if I eat wheat, rye, or barley, I do invisible damage to my intestines and may or may not give me a very bad stomachache.  Diabetics can get away with eating some sugar....but eventually the damage they may do becomes irreversible.  The same is true with celiac disease.  Or I can eat properly and my body will heal.  Did you know diabetes and celiac disease are both autoimmune diseases?  Sarah's wheat allergy requires her to carry an epi pen. 

Well, thanks to my mom, Brenden thought he was cheating the gluten issue when he enjoyed some delicious cookies she had made over Christmas.  Bren was at our house without Sarah...and then I informed him they were gluten free...he said, "Aw, man, I thought I was getting away with something and eating the real deal"!  A crumb on Bren's lips could pose quite a problem for Sarah if he kisses her.  So he stays clear of gluten and wheat, too. 

Last week, I found a wonderful recipe for "cheese" crust pizza.  I believe this is going to be the next classic "cheesy noodles" recipe in our family.  When the boys were little, the only way they would eat tuna casserole was to tell them it was cheesy noodles.  And in the beginning, I used to blender the sauce so they couldn't see the tuna chunks.  But they grew up loving it as one of their favorite dishes.  And then Brady went to college and called home for the recipe..and my cover was blown.  Well, my cheese crust pizza is going to stay a secret for awhile until they fall in love with it..and then I'll reveal the recipe on here.  I loved it and Lare and Ayden licked it all right up without asking. They didn't even seem to notice the huge grin I sported. 

btw...I seem to do fine with beer made from barley..but I stay away from wheat beers...and there are some good gluten free beers on the market, too.  If you are really sensitive to gluten, all beer must be avoided which I did for a very long, long time.  And then I tested it to see if I had any symptoms which I did not.  And I would if it bothered me, because the longer I am away from gluten the faster I get sick if I get into something accidentally. But everything in moderation is still a good rule to follow...even if it is gluten free cake!

God Bless and happy February!
love,
Monica
James 1:12