AIP: A new beginning

Welp, I'm fully on AIP now. Unfortunately I was too busy with things to write it all up but I spent the weekend at home purposefully transitioning from GAPS to AIP... and by "transitioning" I mean stuffing my face with all the AIP friendly starch I could get my hands on! My body felt soooooo hungry for starch! I must have eaten 5 plantains by myself, lol (largely in the form of plantain chips, which isn't great but it is what it is.)

I have been making sure to start my days with plenty of probiotics. I start off with one Prescript Assist soil based organism capsule, one capsule of saccharomyces boulardii, and two of your run of the mill probiotics (I have so many in my freezer from my various stints of trying to get my gut balanced). Drink them all down with a glass of water with a tablespoon of Inner Eco coconut water probiotic and a smidge of Jarrow inulin FOS (I'm starting with a tiny amount and working my way up - I've experienced starting too much too soon and it is NOT FUN.) I've also started making breakfast smoothies again but with more limited ingredients than usual. I used to make them with whey powder but that's out on AIP. I did include egg yolks but I'm going to need to end that... as soon as I use up my eggs! The two recipes I alternate between are as follows:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Banana
Frozen strawberries
Coconut butter
Gelatin (in the green container)
Egg yolk

Chocolate Smoothie
Banana
Frozen blueberries (not too much!)
Frozen spinach (not too much!)
Carob powder
Coconut butter
Gelatin
Egg yolk

I think I'm going to stop drinking these for breakfast and have them for dessert instead - they are too delicious! Plus, that's way too much sugar to have as a "meal".

On the plus side, my feet and knees are already feeling better! As is my mood! Fingers crossed that it lasts. On the negative side, my guts are SO FREAKING LOUD. They've been grumbly and gassy all goddam day! Hopefully they'll settle down as the bacteria reach a new equilibrium. I may leave out the inulin/FOS for a week or so.

So that's it for my GAPS experience! Thank you GAPS, you taught me a lot about myself!


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Breakfast: strawberry banana smoothie

Lunch (I was STARVING!): Korean short ribs, sweet potato, green salad, apple

Dinner: The last of my AIP nachos; AIP Mexican ground beef, fancy AIP guacamole (normally I make a very simple guac with just salt, lime juice, and garlic powder but since I'm doing AIP I decided to fancy it up), lettuce, and plantain chips

AIP Mexican Ground Beef
Sautee ground beef and onions
Add (fresh!) oregano and salt to taste

AIP Fancy Guacamole
Avocado
Lemon (or lime) juice
Cucumber, diced small
Fresh cilantro
Fresh pressed garlic
Green onion
Salt

The Korean ribs recipe was based on this recipe by The Paleo Mom. As usual I just eyeballed it - mixed up a mess of coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and some salt -  and tossed the ribs in the mixture. Cooked in a low oven (300 degrees) for about 4 hours. They were delicious but totally dried out; next time I will cover with foil until the last half hour and see how that works. Maybe put them under the broiler to get some nice crispy bits going. <3

GAPS Day 26: To FODMAP or not to FODMAP

That is the question!!

So, I started this whole quest to get my digestion in order, primarily to resolve my issues with GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or heartburn) and my digestion in general. Looking at my history it's pretty clear that I've had problems with digestion going back decades, possibly even to childhood. Resolving my issues with GERD is the most immediate concern but I really need to get all of these issues under control, and to do that I need to heal my digestion.

In Chris Kresser's ebook on GERD (you have to sign up for his email list to get access to this) he recommends going on the SCD or GAPS diets to starve out the bad bacteria. He says he often uses the low FODMAP diet, especially for those with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, which I'm fairly sure I have) and in a July 13, 2012 article he wrote an article ("FODMAPs: Could common foods be harming your digestive health?") in which he says the same thing. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne also suggests limiting FODMAPS for people who suffer from SIBO ("Veggiephobia: Why limiting your vegetable intake might be slowing down healing"). But then on October 8, 2015 Kelsey Marksteiner wrote another article on ChrisKresser.com in which she says that one should not restrict carbohydrates or FODMAPs for SIBO or gut dysbiosis in general.

But starving the bacteria over the short term does not eradicate the bacteria, which is what we’re trying to accomplish, as the small intestine is not supposed to contain much bacteria. If you continue this restriction for a long period of time in an effort to kill the bacteria, you’re also starving the bacteria in your large intestine that should be there and that play a vital role in your health.

("Why Diet Alone Is Not Enough to Treat SIBO")


In this article, she references a discussion Kresser had on his September 10, 2015 podcast with Dr. Mark Pimentel ("SIBO Update — An Interview with Dr. Mark Pimentel"). Here's what Dr. Pimentel says:

If you give guar gum or you augment their [the bacteria's] eating — so now you’re feeding them, they’re thrilled, they’re enjoying all that food — they’ll be more sensitive to rifaximin.  So when I treat with rifaximin, or antibiotics, in general, for these IBS patients, I don’t want them to be on a low-FODMAP diet simultaneously or any kind of carbohydrate restrictions.  I want those bacteria happy and fed because they’ll respond better, in my experience, and the guar gum study kind of supports that notion.

So I'm really at a loss for what to do. The ideal thing would be to find a good functional medicine doctor and have some testing done but a) that's expensive, and insurance doesn't cover it and b) I dread looking for someone who knows what the hell they're talking about. Since that's out right now I need to figure things out for myself. I do want to go to a doctor, and I will, but not right now. I have too many things I need to save money for (not the least is my wedding and honeymoon!)

The other thing is, although I still believe that digestion is the foundation of health (you can't absorb any nutrients if your digestion isn't working), this experience with GAPS has driven home the fact that I still have autoimmune issues and I need to get those under control. At least after doing GAPS the autoimmune protocol diet doesn't seem so bad!


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I actually ate breakfast today (the last of the GAPS pancakes with a slice of GAPS bread with honey). Guess if there's bread involved I'm hungry enough to eat at 9:30 lol.

Lunch was shredded beef with some salad and chicken broth on the side with some pineapple (from a can, but packed in it's own juice... which spilled in my insulated lunch bag! Damn you non-water tight food containers!!!)

Snack was the last two donuts from Liberty Specialty Foods. I had to! I need to get through all my GAPS food before moving onto AIP, lol.  XD



Today's article:

My Experience with the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

GAPS Day 25: GAPS "bread"

Soooo tired.  :(   I wanted to get to bed by 11:00 pm at the latest but didn't manage to do so until around 1:00 am because F left at 12:00. Oh well. I somehow powered through the day, which was crazy!! My co-worker was out and the guy who normally covers for her was pulled to sit for someone even more demanding. I managed to get through it and drag myself home. I wasn't going to do much but I really wanted to try my hand at Cheeseslave's simple GAPS bread. This meant I didn't eat until 9:30, which is not great but whatevs. The bread turned out to be doorstop dense but whatevs, it's bread! It also had a very "whole wheat" texture since I used Trader Joe's almond meal, which has the skins of the almonds.

Breakfast was Mexican soup again (salsa and shredded beef with chili powder and some spinach thrown in) with an apple (I started eating the skins so no need to peel).

No snack. I was going to buy some plain chicken and veggies from the cafeteria salad bar but I couldn't face food. I think I was just too tired to eat.

Dinner was GAPS bread, smoked salmon, sauerkraut, and the last of the guac. It was nice to have bread, even if it was heavy enough to kill someone if thrown at them.


Today's article:

The autoimmune-inflammatory model of diabesity (Chris Kresser)

"Notice that inflammation alone directly contributes to every single metabolic dysfunction associated with diabesity: leptin resistance, impaired fat and glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, and beta-cell destruction. Inflammation can be considered the primary mechanism through which the modern lifestyle and genetics cause diabesity."

GAPS Day 24: Feet :(

And knees :(

Well, I'm guessing that this isn't just a "normalization" of being on GAPS, I do seem to be going backwards in some areas, namely my feet and ankles. They're back to hurting a bit on waking, and while I stand on the train. Not as bad as before doing GAPS but the pain isn't 100% gone the way it was when I first started GAPS. I suspect that I need to do the Autoimmune Protocol; I've been eating nuts and eggs like crazy since going on full GAPS, as well as regularly eating tomatoes.

I've suspected that some of my problems are autoimmune in origin for a while; I have eczema, which is an autoimmune condition, and if you have one autoimmune symptom you have autoimmunity. I'm going to stick with just doing GAPS for now; the idea of limiting my diet to even further will completely drive me off the deep end. The gut is the first thing I need to get under control, after that I'll work on the autoimmunity. (Then again, my gut problems may have an autoimmune component, in which case I may have to do both at the same time waaaaaahh!!)

I felt so amazing doing intro GAPS but IT'S. SO. GODDAM. HARD!!! I will definitely redo the intro again but I'm hoping that I can do it for a month or so at a time, and not for years and years and years and years (please god no).

I've also been having bathroom issues again; I keep trying to increase my HCL dosage and it's just no good, my digestion can't handle it. But increasing stomach acid soooo important to improving digestion that I keep pushing! I've been taking one 650 mg with breakfast and snack (even though I don't eat a lot for my snack) and two with dinner. I've also been taking relatively large amounts of fish oil, which also tends to loosen stuff up. This is important but not as important as getting my digestion on track so I may try cutting out the fish oil and just focusing on the HCL. Ugh, this is so complicated!!!!

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Breakfast (at 10:30 am as usual) was LSF crackers (I have to remember to bring in my GAPS pancakes!!!) with "Mexican" soup, just broth with shredded beef, salsa, and cauliflower. Nothing fancy. A small apple and some nuts afterwards. Snack was cucumber from the cafeteria salad bar, guacamole, salsa, and smoked salmon (with just salmon and salt - you have to read the label because they freaking love putting sugar in everything) with a Larabar (I really have to start making these!)

F came over tonight - he was supposed to come last night but forgot (hence the salsa and guacamole - I may not be able to eat corn chips but he can... also, I just love my local Mexican restaurant's salsa, and guac is always awesome!) I had egg burrito again and was going to make F a platter with the chips, guacamole, beef, etc. but he ended up coming really, really, REALLY late (10:45 pm!). And he's bought a sandwich. Huh.



Today's article:

"The Autoimmune Protocol" (from The Paleo Mom)

"Autoimmune disease is an epidemic in our society, affecting an estimated 50 million Americans. But it doesn’t have to be. Although genetic predisposition accounts for approximately one-third of your risk of developing an autoimmune disease, the other two-thirds comes from your environment, your diet, and your lifestyle. In fact, experts are increasingly recognizing that certain dietary factors are key contributors to autoimmune disease, placing these autoimmune conditions in the same class of diet- and lifestyle-related diseases as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. This means that autoimmune disease is directly linked to our food choices and how we decide to live your life. It also means that we can manage and reverse autoimmune disease simply by changing how you eat and making more informed choices about sleep, activity, and stress… and that’s some pretty darned good news!"

GAPS Day 23: Liberty Specialty Foods

Sooooo... I bit the bullet and bought some things from Liberty Specialty Foods. Was it worth it? Well, let's see. But first, what I ate today!

"Breakfast" was curry beef soup; crockpot shredded beef (literally, just put a piece of meat on top of some sliced onions and a 1/4 cups of stock and you will have some meaty deliciousness with almost no work), cauliflower, some spinach with curry spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric). Fruit on the side.

I had a little snack after my walk; didn't bring it in, I just got some fixings from the company salad bar: cucumbers, broccoli, beets, chicken, and half a hard boiled egg with olive oil and lemon juice on top.

Dinner was egg burrito with shredded beef, salsa, and guac. I kind of overdid it; I kept making too little so this time I made way to much. I also had half a grapefruit and a small apple.

My night snack was two of the LSF donuts.



Review: Liberty Specialty Foods

I found Liberty Specialty Foods on my search for SCD/GAPS convenience foods. GAPS is inconvenient to say the least, and it would be nice to find some things that I don't have to make at home. LSF isn't just convenience food, though. It's legitimately gourmet. It's also pretty pricy. I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try.

Waffles (3 waffles for $16.99. Yeah, I know.) These are Belgian style waffles and OMG, they have amazing texture! And taste delicious! They pretty much taste (and feel) like the "real thing". The only thing is that they don't crisp up in the toaster, but otherwise, these just taste like delicious waffles. I just had mine with honey but I bet they'd be AMAZING with strawberries and whipped cream!

Donuts (6 for $16.99) I wasn't thrilled with these at first - they're like a very dense apple cider donut. They're made from coconut flour so they have that denseness that coconut flour products have, but by the time I'd finished one I was ready for another. I could only finish half of the second one, though. Very filling. But darn tasty! And they don't taste like honey (which is the case with my baked treats), but like donut. I really enjoyed these.

Herb Crackers (4.5 oz for $9.99) While these were probably my least favorite of the three items, I still really enjoyed them. I try to avoid dairy so these were just about the only savory items they have. They're not really crisp, more like pie crust, which is unavoidable since they're made from almond flour, but they have a really nice rosemary taste. My only problem is that they are very delicate and break very easily.

All in all, I would buy these again... as a treat. They're definitely too pricey for every day use, but that's probably for the best. They make a nice treat. And since I'm not spending any money eating out nowadays I think I can afford a couple of these a month. Next month I want to try the pizza crust!

GAPS Day 22: Two steps forward, one step back

Ugh, I bathroom issue again this morning. I'm pretty sure it was because I upped my cod liver oil and HCL dose last night; 1 tablespoon up from 1 teaspoon of CLO and 2 capsules of HCL instead of 1. I need to take it back down again I guess.  :(   I'll try to increase the doses again next week. Maybe one at a time instead of both would be good Suzanne!

My meals were kind of screwed up; ran into a friend at work who was all "Hey, let's do lunch!" but I don't do lunch now. Since starting GAPS I've eaten "breakfast" (generally soup) at 10:30 am, when I start feeling hungry, then a snack around 3:00 or 4:00. Since normal people eat lunch at lunch time I shifted around my meals so I had my snack at 10:00 am and lunch at 1:30 pm. Lunch was shredded crockpot beef with a side of butternut squash with some ghee in it. "Breakfast" was cucumber chips with pate "dip" (my liver pate mashed with homemade mayo). For dinner I had a GAPS burrito; I stopped and got some chips and salsa from my favorite Mexican restaurant and put the salsa on the crockpot beef with some cumin and avocado (G got the chips; he was a happy camper.)

I also had some GAPS treats! My package from Liberty Specialty Foods came in today and I kind of pigged out. I have no regrets, either. This is my treat for being soooo good, a reward for surviving being surrounded by illegal foods all month. It's also REALLY EXPENSIVE - $17 for 3 waffles, the same for 6 donuts, and $10 for a small box of almond flour crackers - but everything is amazingly delicious! Definitely worth it as a treat. I'll do some reviews tomorrow.




Today's Article:

You Are What Your Bacteria Eat: The Importance of Feeding Your Microbiome (Chris Kresser)

The microbiome - all the bacteria that live in and on you, mostly in your gut - is the new frontier of science. They've found that changes in gut bacteria not only affect your digestion and stomach issues, but everything from weight to mental issues. If you need the GAPS diet you have problems with your gut, but our guts affect so much more than just digestion.

"[H]umans are just elaborate vessels for the propagation of microorganisms."

GAPS Day 21: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Welp, I guess I'm on full GAPS now. I was looking at the rest of the month, planning out how I would do stages 4 to 6 and looking at the food lists. I'm already eating raw veggies (cucumbers) and cooked and even raw fruit (apples and applesauce). I'm planning on adding shakes made with frozen bananas and berries, too. And, of course, there's the cake, although that's really a special treat that I'm not going to have every day (just until the rest of the cake is finished, lol.)

I can't stomach the thought giving these little things up, and I don't have Crohns or ulcerative colitis. I'm not reacting to any of these foods, or if I am it's not really obvious (noticeable changes in mood or bathroom issues for instance.) So I guess I'm on full GAPS now. I do want to do early GAPS intro (say, stages 1-3) a couple of times a year, for one month periods, to focus "healing and sealing" my gut, and doubling down on eliminating the bad bacteria, but right now I just want to not make myself crazy, which is what was happening. I find I'm actually enjoying the food I'm eating now and don't feel deprived. I'm not overeating, and even the "junk food" that I treat myself with is nutritious and healthy. So, I'm going full on GAPS!


Today's article

"Was the GAPS Diet Worth It?" (Nourished and Nurtured)