Just wanted to post a little update on how I’m doing lately. I posted a while ago saying I was going to cut down on sugar (honey, fruit) in order to make sure I get rid of any yeast problems or bacteria imbalances. I went to see my naturopath this week and she said it looked as if things were getting better without me watching my sugar intake so she suggested just let my body take care of it for now. She doubts I have a bad Candida problem and thinks by just continuing on this diet and supporting a healthy system that everything will get better. I agreed with her, although I think I still get influenced by seeing posts on message boards about people who are really strict about getting rid of yeast overgrowth with extremely low sugar diets and anti fungals. For now, I’m just going to continue the SCD without worrying about too much honey or fruit, but trying still to eat everything in moderation. The yogurt is going really well and I do think this is helping a lot with yeast/bacteria imbalances. I’m eating 1 cup or more per day and loving it as a snack. Supposedly coconut oil and garlic also help get rid of yeast and I’m eating more than enough of those.
I have decided to cut down a bit on the nut products. I have noticed some digestive problems mostly the day after days when I go nuts on the nuts. It’s hard because the brownies are so good and so easy to grab in a moment of weakness. For now I’m not going to venture more into baking with nut products out of fear I’m going to find even more great snacks. My digestive system has been doing really well since starting this diet though. I actually seem to be digesting food again! And, yep, I’ve gained 4 pounds! This is CRAZY for me. I have never been able to gain weight easily. I still have another 10 at least to go. I’m hopeful to get there well within the next year.
I ordered a bunch of recipe books from my library the past few weeks and I have copied out so many great looking recipes. So far I haven’t tried making too many but hope to soon have a lot of recipes that I’m comfortable making. I’m thinking about buying Raman Prasad’s two cookbooks just because they are so good. I’m hesitant only because I’m spending so much money on food these days that I’m not exactly holding extra money to spend on books I can borrow from the library.
Last night I finally went ahead and bought some grass-fed beef from a local farmer in bulk. I’ve been looking into this for a long time but never made the effort to follow through and order some. Well it’s on it’s way and I will have my order this weekend. I’m absolutely shocked at how cheap it was. Regular ground beef in the stores (not even the good stuff but the cheapest stuff that looks nasty and most people won’t eat unless it’s hidden in spaghetti sauce) is about $8.80/kg. The lean ground beef I bought from this farmer, is $8.80/kg. This is some high quality beef! For the same price as store-bought! Are you kidding me!? I also got stew beef cubes for the same price, and they gave me 1 pound each free liver and soup bones. Crazy. I’m very excited about this new find and hope to be able to continue ordering from them. Now I don’t have to worry about going shopping for beef and I’ve got good quality meat. Before I was buying bison and lamb for like $22.00/kg because it was naturally raised grass-fed meats. I hope to start saving some money by not having to buy these as much and relying on my cheap-high-quality beef.
I still seem to have on going skin problems. My skin is no longer dry, this has been one nice thing about a high fat diet. I have been taking fish oil which has helped even more. But, I still have acne problems on my face and some scalp sores that never seem to go away. I don’t even know if I would call it acne actually, more like sores. I also have severely chapped lips which I’ve had since I was a kid. I’m hoping to have some success at fixing my skin issues on this diet. My naturopath has said the skin is usually the last thing to heal up and to keep being patient.
The only other update I can think of is a strange one. I’ve always been super pale-skinned. The other week when I traveled to a conference, I was actually shocked when I got to my hotel late at night. After traveling for hours, I looked in the mirror and I had rosy cheeks! Color! Wow. This I haven’t noticed in my entire life other than when I get really badly sunburnt. This was honestly just natural rosy cheeks at a time when I should have looked gray and half dead. I looked alive! (I’ve been faking it for years with blush..) No one else seems to have noticed, but then again I just stopped wearing the blush and using the natural color, so I guess I don’t actually look different. I do feel different though.. Now if only I can get rid of those dark under-eye circles.
