Eating Out and Food Restrictions

PC: McLovin 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/negativeproof/13122415165/

PC: McLovin 2.0

I find myself doing A LOT of cooking on this RepairVite / AIP diet. Here’s the thing, I love cooking, but on this program, it does seem to take up quite a bit of my day. I have completed five full days of the program (not even a third of the way through the food elimination phase). My DH asked me today if we were almost done. He is doing a modified version of the program. He eats dried fruit and nuts as snacks.  He is also drinking coffee (with sugar!). I introduced him to coconut sugar today. He had it in his coffee, but I don’t think it’s going to stick.

Thankfully some days we do plain ol’ leftovers—nothing fancy. However, we had unexpected guests on a leftover day, so we ordered out. It (the food) was a nice change for me/us. My DH and I ordered a rotisserie chicken and a green salad from our local Mediterranean restaurant. It worked! And it was easy and yummy. And we were able to have our guests order whatever they wanted meaning we didn’t have to submit them to our no-this no-that diet. It was a win-win situation. It was such a great experience that it got me thinking, “where else could we order food from and stay within the diet’s parameters?” Continue reading

Good Snack Options for AIP/Paleo Diets

Vegetable Root Chips are great on the go!

Vegetable Root Chips are great on the go!

A lot of things went wrong today. I went to my rheumie appointment by myself. I haven’t gone by myself in months. But I have been feeling better, and the only appointment available didn’t work with my DH’s schedule. So off I went. Traffic was bad, and the carpool lane wasn’t an option as it usually is. I called the doctor’s office to let them know I’d be about 10-15 minutes late. What I thought was a professional courtesy did not work in my favor. The receptionist said that I would have to reschedule and that he was cancelling my appointment for the day. What?! I couldn’t believe it. I reiterated that I was calling to let them know I was going to be late not to reschedule. Ha! And he just reiterated right back—I needed to reschedule the appointment; they wouldn’t see me today since I was late. Ugh! I was incredibly frustrated. I told him I’d have to call him back when I could access my calendar (i.e. not driving). So what could I do? I was already across town. I might as well make the most of it. So, I went shopping–Whole Foods shopping that is. I grabbed a few ingredients and headed on out. The plan was to go to Whole Foods after my appointment and have lunch there, but no appointment, so I was there early. I decided to pass on WH’s lunch and just eat at home. Plus, it was before noon.

I hopped on the freeway and bam! Complete. stand. still. You know the kind that only happens after you get on the onramp? Here I was stuck. And then the worst thing happened. Continue reading

Starting my AIP Paleo Hybrid Food Plan

Tomorrow is the day I say no to sugar, no to gluten, no to soy, no to dairy, and YES to a healthy gut. I will be starting my food elimination diet for the next 3 weeks+. My naturopath describes the RepairVite program as a cross between the Paleo and Autoimmune Protocol diets.

It should be known that I had a s’mores with breakfast and an ice cream sundae for dessert tonight. Seven thirty p.m. was my cut off time. Not only am I starting this crazy gut-repairing diet tomorrow but I also have to go in for labs first thing in the morning. I have to fast for 12 hours. The fasting is a piece of cake; I can drink water. But the piece of cake that I will no longer be able to eat for three weeks will be missed…I think. I hear that a lot of people who give up sugar actually don’t crave it anymore. I am pretty sure I have a sugar addiction which is dangerous because Continue reading

First Meeting with My Naturopathic Doctor & RepairVite

I asked my rheumie if diet could help my condition (i.e. lupus symptoms, quality of life, inflammation); I explained that I knew there wasn’t a cure for lupus. I was just wondering if diet could help. He said, no. He said no studies have been done to support this idea. I wasn’t surprised by his answer. He’s a very good doctor, a very good old-school doctor. However, my DH and I believe that what you put into your systems has a direct correlation to your health. We decided it was time to see a Naturopathic doctor–a state-licensed medical doctor who combines conventional medicine practices with an array of natural and holistic treatment approaches. Here is a recount of our first meeting.

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Team Cooking & Turkey, Zucchini, and Sweet Potato Lasagna

Photo Credit: HeWontKnowItsPaleo.com

Photo Credit: HeWontKnowItsPaleo.com

I got her call last week.”Hey, let’s get together. I haven’t see you in awhile. I had an idea. Let’s cook dinner together. You pick the recipe. I’ll bring the ingredients.” Someone pinch me. Seriously?! Uh, YES to that idea! My friend’s only request was that we make something that involved sweet potatoes. Easy.

So, two of my girlfriends came over, and we made dinner together. We chatted, chopped, and chomped. And I love having people around who I can have taste-test food and give me a second (or third) opinion. There’s something therapeutic about cooking for me. And it was like double therapy with my girlfriends there. We haven’t had a chance to really visit lately, and there is always so much to catch up on. You can get so much more done in a shorter amount of time (with little reminders from me of the task at hand). We all chipped in—someone slicing, someone measuring, someone mixing. My second g-friend made dessert ahead of time and brought it for us to enjoy (devour).

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