Arthritis - Can it Be Cured?

#arthritis #food #veggies

Arthritis is my new friend. I thought it was due to the injuries I experienced as a child and young adult. I fell so much in college that some of my friends nicknamed me "ace bandage." I wasn't overweight then but now I know my weight exacerbates my clumsy problem.  I decided to research which vegetables or oils would be beneficiary to arthritic people. It would help me, my husband and my mother.

To my surprise many of my favorite vegetables should be avoided. They are called the "nightshade" vegetables.

"The nightshades include numerous vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarillos, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, and cayenne peppers. Hot sauces made from the hot peppers are considered nightshades. Also, ground cherries, garden huckleberry, naranjillas, and even tobacco are considered nightshades."

This article also questions if that is a fact for everyone or are some people more sensitive than others. I also read the a gluten-free diet would aid in relieving the pain caused by arthritis. That seems reasonable since gluten-free keeps popping up in all inflammatory ailments that I research. So here is my dilemma. I have decided to try a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan diet for the twenty-one days. Should I eliminate the nightshades also? I love most of the nightshades.

Ghost pepper

I find it interesting that the capsaicin in the peppers would be the reason they should be avoided. Capsaicin is in some popular arthritic pain ointments. I would also like to know how an american who grew up on potatoes and tomatoes will function without them? Can you hear that tiny violin?

In the 21 days I expect to change habits, detox and improve my spiritual well being. Still should nightshades be included in the experiment? Does anyone out there in healthy land have a suggestion? I will begin the fast on the 6th.

 

 

 

http://arthritis.about.com/od/diet/a/Are-Nightshades-Bad-For-Arthritis.htm

New Food Frontier For Me

#dairyfree #foodallergies #cooking

I had the most amazing day at Barnes and Noble. A few weeks ago I began my food experiment journey into the world of gluten-free and dairy free recipes. I am happy to report the non-dairy butter was and is awesome. I found a recipe for non-dairy shortening. I haven't tried it yet but since it is from the same cook I expect it to be amazing as well. That experience combined with my new love for certified organic foods got be excited to learn more. I went to Barnes and Noble on a search for a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan cookbook. That was kind of silly since vegans are dairy free. :-D Nevertheless, I spent some time searching for a cookbook that would satisfy my education and cooking for my Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to find a particular book that I had seen in an Adventist market. I didn't see it so I went to customer service like a good little researcher and asked about the book. I didn't find the book but I did discover that I had only tapped the service of Barnes and Noble's cookbooks. The WHOLE back wall contained cookbooks. I just HAD to come back another day when i could explore.

Much like that little kid at Christmas, I couldn't wait. I was so excited that I came back and purchased a gluten-free, dairy-free cookbook without the research.. I got home and decided it really did not do it for me. The next day I returned the book and spent that amazing day searching for a cookbook that would meet my needs.

I found it! I found it! I found the perfect book for me. It has recipes but it is more of a "How to make your own" book. It is a Vegan substitution cookbook, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions by Steen and Newman. The guide explains the relationship between items used to prepare a meal for carnivores and herbivores and how to make the substitutions for the best results. As I said in the last post, I was expecting a diverse set of dietary needs to visit my home for Christmas. I needed to change my mac and cheese and sweet potato pie ingredients to accommodate animal product free, dairy free, and gluten free allergies. Rather than guessing and serving the meals with trepidation, I went boldly into the kitchen to prepare the requested dishes. The mac and cheese was a hit. I know because there was very little left over. We  ate so much that we didn't have room for the pies. That was left to today's dining experiences.

By the way, corn allergy is coming to visit for the weekend. What's one more. Corn, in some form,is in almost everything.  Read your labels people.Got to label read!

We Forgot!

#peaceonearth #respect #Christmas #joy #stress #spouse #love

I remember when I was a child this was the most inspiring, joyous time of the year. My grandmother shopped downtown listening to Christmas carols being piped through speakers on the city streets. The night air was crisp and clean. People who you didn't know, greeting you with smiles and Merry Christmas on their lips. It may have been stressful to some but it sure didn't feel like it. The list of things to be done seemed like a privilege and a joy. Giving wasn't something you had to do. People who couldn't afford to buy gifts made them. Those were usually the best ones. Sharing what you had was magnified.

But Now...

There seems to be more concern with how much I can get and how much did you pay for it. That put unnecessary stress who can't spend a lot. We forgot the joy is in the giving, however little and the fact that someone thought of you. We forgot! We have taught our kids to be unappreciative. Then we get mad at them when they are.

The stress of this season breaks up relationships. We have come to value the things given over the giver. If your spouse or significant other doesn't give you what you want at the price point you expect, there is NO Peace on Earth. We forgot. 

• Let's remember to treat each other the way we want to be treated; with love and respect.
• Let's remember to value the person more than anything they give, even if all they can give is a smile and a hug.
• Let's remember the joy many of us felt as children. 

    If you don't have those kind of memories begin to make them now. Those of us who have them, share that love with them.

• Let's remember "To do to others what we want done to us."

          I guess in this perverted world I should explain. I mean treat others with the love and respect you want to get. Don't fight in the stores and don't curse people out in the parking lots.

• Let's remember to be kind and spread joy. 

Don't forget. The Messiah's birth was to bring Peace not Stress. 

Remember!

Have Very, Blessed, Joyful, and Loving CHRISTmas celebration!

The Thanksgiving Cooking Experiment

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family. It was just my husband and I. Our children were away this year. I had a ball. Not because they were away though. I experimented with our traditional recipes. I was motivated by my newly vegan son and my dairy-intolerant grand-baby. I had wanted to try vegan cooking for a while and I figured now was a good time.

Mac and Cheese

Attention went first to my mac and cheese. This is my grandmother's mac and cheese so the flavors are sacred. I decided to use rice elbow macaroni. I never used it before. Next concern: How do you bring those southern flavors to vegan world: Butter, real milk, sharp and mild cheddar cheese? I was skeptical but I went all in. I replaced the cheese with veggie cheese. I replaced the milk with flax seed milk. I found it to be creamier than almond and other nut milks I've tried. However, what to do about butter? I found some vegan butter in my favorite organic store but the cost was ridiculous. Google came through. I found several vegan sites that had recipes for making your own vegan butter without using soy products. I made my first non-dairy butter. The results were good but I still didn't know how it would work in my mac and cheese. It was wonderful. That gave me hope for my sweet potato pie.

Sweet Potato Pie

This was not completely vegan but it was still an experiment. I used my non-dairy butter, a blend of flax and evaporated milk and egg. I thought my husband had bought an egg substitute but he bought egg whites instead. The filling was good. The real experiment was the pie crust. I decided to try gluten free flour. Who knows why? I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or shortening. I either had a crumbling mess or something that was very oily looking. I wanted that flaky crust I was familiar with. As it turned out, the taste was great but the texture was too thin. Saved by the flavors.

I have learned a lot through this experiment.

1. I will never plan to buy dairy butter again. 
2. I have since found a recipe for homemade baking shortening. That's next. 
3. Coconut oil, refined and unrefined are my new best friends. It has so many uses besides cooking. 
4. I have found a website of a vegan sweet potato expert. Things are looking up for my Christmas pies.  http://sweetpotatosoul.com/2014/01/how-to-make-vegan-sweet-potato-pie.html
5. Sunflower oil has entered my pantry.
6. I found non-soy, non-gluten, non-wheat egg replacer. They also gave the ingredients and I have them in my cabinet. I wonder if I can make my own?
7. I just found an egg replacer recipe using chia seed. Who knew? Got to try this. http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-make-egg-substitute-chia-seeds/

I also found this link for powdered egg replacer recipe. If any of you have used these recipes, I would certainly like to hear from you. My holiday baking begins in about a week and a half. I am planning to experiment ahead of time.

Vegans out there please share your experience and wisdom. I am on fire to test things out.

In the Midst of the Storm

I awaken yesterday morning from a very interesting dream. I was driving down from the mountains in my VW Bug. It was forecasted to snow that evening and I wanted to get home before it did. I left early enough according to the forecast but the snow came earlier and stronger than they predicted. Visibility diminished quickly. I tried to continue but I couldn't see. Suddenly, I heard a voice say "Stop." I thought, "In the middle of the road?Some other driver may hit me. " Then I heard the voice say louder, "Stop!" So I stopped. I want you to know, there was no one human in the car with me or outside the car. After I came to a complete stop, the voice said,

"Leave your engine running, turn off your lights and turn your heat down to a comfortable but low temperature."

 I was bewildered, and somewhat anxious but I obeyed the voice. Then the voice said,

" Get out and pour salt around your tires and a few feet in front and behind the car and along side  your door.

I obeyed. By this time I had decided this must be God because there was no other explanation. I sat in my car and covered up in my blanket. Yeah, where did a blanket come from? I, peacefully, fell asleep. I slept the rest of the night and was awaken by the noise of the snow plows that were clearing the highway. There was a tapping on my window. It was one of the drivers who said, he was able to distinguish the shape of the car because the snow did not completely cover me. What was he talking about. I got out and saw that my car should have been completely covered to look like the snow  bank. It was the salt. Around my car, the snow melted immediately, and did not form one mound. Then I woke up.

This was very bizarre. My first thought.

First of all why would I have salt in the car? Another thing, I don't own a VW Bug. The other odd thing is there were chains on the tires. I don't live in the snow.  Why would I have these things?

 I lay in my bed thinking about it. This was a very vivid, detailed dream and that usually means God is trying to tell me something. But, What? Is an early storm coming? Am I in the midst of the storm now? Is it someone else's storm since I don't own those things? Don't know.

I concluded, that regardless, I was instructed how to handle the storm. I was protected during the storm,  I was delivered from the storm and I was not alone. My All Sufficient, Self-Existing, Omnipresent God was with me.

I had peace in the midst of the storm.

My experience with Essential Oils

For years we have been told about massage therapy and aroma therapy. I really didn't take it seriously until a few years ago. I knew I like candles burning when I took a scented bubble bath. I knew the lavender scent was my favorite because it was relaxing. What I didn't know was why. I didn't even consider investigating the properties of lavender. About two or three years ago I was introduced to Young Living Essential Oils (YLEO). A member of our church introduced us to a couple visiting who were distributors of YLEO. They came over to our home and shared the benefits of essential oils. More than that, the wife massaged my husband's legs and knees with the oils. At that time he was in a lot of pain and was having difficulty walking. The oils relaxed his muscles and aided in the relief of the pain. He was sold. We ordered the oils mainly for him. I still didn't get on board fully. I wasn't against them but just wasn't ready to be involved with selling oils. I had just gotten burned with another so called business opportunity and I wasn't interested. I was satisfied to be a distributor for the purpose of buying the oils for my husband.

Over the next two years, my attitude changed. I began using the oils for my lower back pain, sore throat, congestion, stress and fatigue. The scents were so relaxing. My husband and I joking call the cloves and thieves oil our scented heating pads. Now here is the clincher that tossed me to the business side. My mother has severe arthritis and she has heart disease. Her doctors had to change her arthritis pain medication to something less effective because it affected her heart. For weeks afterwards she had difficulty sleeping. Her pain was worse at night. She told me what was going on so I decided to try rubbing her legs with some of the oils. I decided to use one of our scented heating pads, Thieves. I massaged her legs and feet when I got there. Shortly, she told me the pain was reducing to a bearable intensity.  I hadn't read about the foot reflexology yet. I just massaged her legs and feet. I left the Thieves with her because it did relax her while I was there. She called me the next day and told me she slept the entire night. After four nights I checked in to see if it was a fluke. It was not. She slept every night after that. She then put it on her other joints. My Mom and I are sold. Her side benefit was relief from sinus congestion just by having the essence in the room.

I am now a student of the essential oils. It just supports the belief that God placed everything on earth in our plant life for our health. You can have similar experiences at home that you have at the day spa. You can massage your own legs, feet, hands and neck. You can get a loved one to massage your back. Home spa with the occasional visit to the day spa.

It is not about having more medicine or that the essential oils are medicine in the American Medical Association or the Food and Drug Administration defining way. But if something natural aids your medication or relaxes the tension by infusing it into the air or rubbing it on your body then there is benefit to your well being. It will at least comfort you while the AMA is looking for a cure or better medication for what ails you.

If you would like to experience Young Living Essential Oils or become a distributor, click the Get Essential Oils link on the sidebar. You are not required to distribute if you don't want to. I didn't and no one harassed me to do so. I did, however, get the discount for being a member.  Try it. You won't be sorry.

In Spite of It All

This week has been very interesting for my family. We gathered together for a wonderful family dinner on Sunday at my mother's house. My sisters and their families were there, along with some close friends. The meal was off the chain. We laughed and joked until late into the night. The next morning we gathered at Kaiser Permanente, Sunset Blvd for one of two brain surgeries one of my sister's faced. There were prayers and some were anxious but she and I had complete peace. God promised that He would not allow us to be caught unaware. Translation, He would warn us or give us divine intel so that we could prepare for what was coming. She and I were at peace. There was no need to be forewarned because everything was fine. Parking created the greatest anxiety. It was a tiring day because they kept delaying the time of her surgery. A more critical patient arrived and had priority. The family stayed. We had favor from the ICU staff. They allowed all of us to enter her room at the same time. ICU's usually limit the number of people who can enter.

The next morning those of us who went home to sleep re-assembled. This time they took her on time. So we gathered and waited. About 4pm the doctor emerged to tell us the surgery was a success. The tumor was removed, there was minimal bleeding and her vitals were stable. About 6pm we were able to see her. Yes, they allowed all of us to enter the ICU unit. We stood outside her room and took turns going in. The funny thing is, she gave the orders. She first sent for her kids, then parents, and then sisters. She showed us that she was still our loving organizer. She was released from the hospital on Friday and she is resting at home.

In Spite of the seriousness of the occasion, we had a wonderful family reunion. All that time spent waiting was spent talking and catching up on each others lives. There was no sense of doom. We could have easily still been in my mother's family room. Being with family can be a time of warm, comforting love or a time of anger and chaos. Choose love regardless of the situation.

In Spite of It All choose to LOVE and ENJOY your Family!