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Foods That Help me Feel Better

Aug22

What foods can I eat?
Maybe we better talk about what I can't eat first.

   Everyone wants to know — I get questions and emails all the time saying: What can you eat?  How did you do it?  How in the world did you lose over 110 pounds? 

So, today I thought it would be appropriate to talk about what foods I do not eat because this plays such an important part in living with Fibromyalgia.


The Three Biggest Problem Foods For Me!
Wheat – Soy – Milk

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods Which Contain Gluten
But… Unfortunately There are Many More!

t1larg.gluten.foods.gi  

Okay…. okay, I'll admit it.  At first this new way of eating was HARD!  I thought I couldn't do it.  I wondered what I would be able to eat.  Nothing?  Well, that's what I thought as it's what you are probably thinking too!  

   But… OH MY GOSH!  This has changed my life! 


Truthfully, God changed my life through my new "healthy" life style and through the marvelous doctors my husband and I found who knew immediately what was killing me (yes, you did hear me right), and who knew what immediate and major changes I needed to make in the foods I ate .

You see, I was born with Celiac and that is what caused my fibromyalgia.  Celiac is a severe allergy to many – well… most of the foods I was eating when I got sick. As I kept eating them, the sicker I got.

Celiac affects the large intestines.  There are little extensions on the inside wall of your intestines which are called "villi."  These villi stick our and move around to grab hold of and absorb fat, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from the foods you consume.  With celiac, these villi are flat against the wall of the intestines, so they cannot absorb any of the nutrients you need to survive – to be healthy – and to flourish.  I was hardly surviving at all, and I certainly was not healthy in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Thank You Lord!  I am as healthy as I can be while still fighting fibro and celiac – as I will for the rest of my life.  I began starting to to flourish at the "young" age of 60…feeling better than I had felt since I was 29 years old!  And, it is all because of what I eat (and some natural supplements). 

These are the foods that I COULD NOT eat when I started this new lifestyle!

NO Gluten (wheat, barley, oats, Aramanth and glue on envelopes – don't lick it!)
NO Lactose (milk, cheese, yogurt)
NO Soy (soy is in everything… even coating some of the medicines you take)
NO Dairy
NO Canned Foods
NO Processed Foods
NO MSG
NO Sugar
NO Eggs
NO Tomatoes – or only very little

I have now been eating this way for almost 8 years.  I have been able to add back some dairy, like cheese on salads, and sometimes in a casserole, or even in gluten free pizzas.  I have now added back an egg for breakfast every morning.  Before the diet, I had a stomach ache every morning of my life.  I didn't know it was from eggs until I left them off…

I do eat bread every day, but it is bread that I make in my $10.00 yard sale bread machine.  Pamela's bread mix which is made from rice flour.  I buy this from Amazon and make it a couple of days a week — because my husband is now wheat free also.  (His arthritis got better when he left off wheat.)  I eat pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, etc. made from rice flour also.  If you were to come to dinner at my house, you would not know that you were eating gluten-free!  We can eat pizza which I make using Kinnikinnick gluten free or Udi's gluten free pizza crust.

 I I now know that I will probably NEVER eat soy again!  Turns out it made me VERY sick.  This really didn't show up until I had been off gluten for a month or so.  That's okay…. I truly can live without gluten and soy for the rest of my life — more than happy to, as a matter of fact!  With some of these other foods, I sneak a little every now and then, and although I don't feel great afterwards, but I am not deathly ill.
 

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods That are Really GOOD for you!

GOOD FOODS FOR YOU

 The above food are great to eat!  Fruits, greens, nuts, legumes and many more options can literally change your life!

HEALTHY FRUIT

If you have fibro or celiac… or even think you have this, try eating as healthy, natural, and organically as possible.  This was not a disease, or even a problem 100 years ago.  Do you know why?  They didn't have all of these chemicals, preservatives, and insecticides in their foods then.  A good rule of thumb is; if you couldn't find that food 100 years ago… then don't eat it now!  Simple, huh?

 The weight loss?  Well, obviously I was overweight from being sick for so long.  I didn't change my way of eating to loose weight.  I changed my way of eating to be happy and healthy and to be able to enjoy my life and my family again.  The weight loss was a plus…. an amazing plus!  When I first began this new way of eating, I went down to an 8 petit!  Never been that small in my life – even as a child.  lol  But, now I have gained some of that weight back.  There are starting to be too many gluten free cookes, cakes, and muffins on the market now which taste REALLY good.  So it is a constant battle for me to leave those off!

Until next time…. think healthy, happy, and be very grateful that you have a chance to change your health and your body just as I did! 


Blessings & Smiles… Nancy  

  

   

Fighting Fibromyalgia – Loosing Weight – Feeling Better!

Mar1

So Happy You're Joining Me in My Quest for Wellness!

I appreciate all your comments and emails!  Many of you are following my lead to be your healthiest self! That's AWESOME! I'm thrilled… I am feeling better. I've lost 11 pounds so far. I am loading my body with fresh, stirfried veggies every day – I mean lots of veggies!! Even ones that I'm not particularly fond of because I have found how they can help to heal my body. 

And… believe me, after all these years of fighting this disease, my body DOES need healing. In each of my short video blogs, I'm sharing with you my personal journey. I'm telling you about my failures as well as my successes. 

God gave us bodies to serve Him and do His will in our lives. I want to be strong enough and heathy enough to do just that!  What about you?

Now, I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes. You see, I had really gotten addicted to gluten free chocolate chip muffis. So, every morning, when I start craving those old muffins, I have found my own recipe to replace those. It is sweet because it is filled with bananas, applesauce and a little honey… but, I'm not eating sugar!

Here it is!

Nancy's chocolate chip MuffinsIMG_0792x

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons honey (you can leave this out if you like) 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I used plain applesauce instead)
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 ripe – soft bananas
  • 1/4 cup cashew milk
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips – or raisins – or crushed pineapple

Topping:

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 
  • 1 tablespoon honey 
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
    (I use Enjoy Life – no soy)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together coconut oil (or applesauce), honey & vanilla until fluffy.  
Add eggs one at a time, and then add apple cider vinegar. Combine dry
ingredients in separate bowl and slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Next mash bananas and milk in a bowl – soft consistency and fold in
banana mixture and chocolate chips (or raisins, or pineapple).

Pour or spoon this mixture into lined muffin tins.
Mix topping an add to tops… Bake 15 to 20 minutes in 350 degree oven.

These are definitely YUMMY!!

Enjoy! 

Blessings, Nancy

 

Special Recipes From My Family To Your Family…

May9


"Special Recipes From My Family To Your Family"   By Nancy Alexander

Happy Mother's Day…


May is such a special time of year! It's the month we honor our Mothers! This week, I want to share with you a couple recipes that are special in my family because they are delicious and because they come from two very special women in our lives! Nana's Chocolate Pound Cake

  • 3 sticks butter, softened
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Carefully grease and flour a bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Once fully mixed, add the eggs one at a time and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the butter and sugar mixture. Once fully mixed, add the vanilla. Pour into your bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

My family requests these two cakes at almost every family gathering! They are classics!


My Mom's 3 Layer Butter Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk

Grease and line 3 Nine inch pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add dry ingredients slowly to the butter mixture with the milk. Pour evenly into pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of pans comes out clean. Cool on wire racks. Enjoy!  

Nana

Dec10

I have been meaning to write for a long time about Nana.  And, well today just seems like the right time.

Nana is my husband's Mother. and I consider her to be the matriarch of our family.  You know, the one everyone wants to be like, the one we look up to, and the one we admire so very much.  Our Nana is 85 years young.  And when I say young, I mean it.  Nana has more strength – mentally, and physically that I can only hope and pray to possess. 

 

Since I married her son 36 years ago, my goal has been to become the same type of mother-in-law to my son's wives as she has been to me.  I'm sure I'm not measuring up to her, but it's nice to have such a loving, sweet Christian woman with such a giving heart to strive to be like.

 

 

This is Nana in the picture above meeting her very first Granddaughter, Ava.  So very precious!

Nana just happens to be the best cook EVER!! 

Her hometown is Iva, South Carolina, and in this small town, everyone knows
"Nana" will be there with food whenever they need it. 
When they have bake sales at her hometown church, all of her goodies such as cakes,
cookies, banana breads, etc. are reserved and sold before she even arrives with them.

So… I have decided it would be nice to start posting Nana's recipes from time to time on my blog. 
These are just too wonderful not share them with the rest of the world.

The first recipe I want to share with you is:

Nana's "First Place, Award Winning – SWEET POTATO SURPRISE CAKE !"

 

 

This Sweet Potato Cake was the Grand Prize Winner at "Depot Days" in Iva, SC in 2007. 

Nana always has entries in these festivals which come in First Place, or at least Second Place. 
She was not able to enter this year because of a serious fall. 
She was walking on her treadmill and fell off dislocating both shoulders. 
That was four months ago,  and she is back at home, but needs your prayers to fully recover. 
This has been very traumatic for a woman who is as involved as she is in her church, and her hometown.
So… Please… Won't you Pray for our "Nana"!

BELOW, YOU'LL SEE A PICTURE OF NANA WITH HER BLUE RIBBON!  SHE WAS SO PROUD!

 

 

OK, I know you're waiting on pins and needles for this wonderful recipe so here it is:

 

Sweet Potato Surprise Cake:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 2 cups sugar 4 eggs – separated 4 Tablespoons hot water 2 1/2 cups cake flour – sifted 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 1/2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes 1 cup chopped nuts 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cooking oil, sugar and beat well.  Add egg yolks and blend well.  Add hot water then the dry ingredients which have been sifted together.  Stir in grated potatoes, nuts, and vanilla and beat well.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.  Bake in 3 greased 8" layer pans (she puts down a wax paper liner), and bake at 350  D. for 25 – 30 minutes.  Let layers cool good before frosting.

 

Frosting:

1 lg. and 1 sm. can of evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 sticks margarine 3 egg yolks 1 3/4 cups coconut

Combine milk, sugar, margarine, egg yolks and vanilla in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat about 10 or 12 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and add coconut.  Beat and let it get almost cold and it will spread better.

The ironic part is that, since I have Celiac disease, and am allergic to wheat, I have never been able to taste this cake.  But I can tell you that it smells absolutely scrumptious, and everyone wants more and more – one piece of this cake is NEVER enough!

 

Thank you Nana for loving me and welcoming me with such love into your family when I married you son!

I love you Deeply!       Nancy