HAWMC 2013 – Day 5: Overhaul Medical School Curriculum

If I could do anything as a health activist, I would change the curriculum offered in medical schools to provide students with the following foundation:

Nutrition

• The study of what we eat and how it affects our bodies should not be relegated to an area of study or a required single-term class; it should be the foundation upon which everything else is learned. It makes absolute zero sense for a patient to receive care and treatment from one specialist for one problem and another specialist for another problem when addressing the patient’s food allergies and/or sensitivities will solve both problems. No. Sense. Whatsoever. Human bodies are intricate organic machines with many parts reliant on one another. In addition, all the different parts are wholly reliant on a single source for sustenance and maintenance: food.

Bodies Are Unique

• The principal that every single person’s body is unique and some patients may know more about their body than their primary care physician should permeate across everything medical students learn. Treatments that work for some people do not work for others. As I have spent the past three years researching natural ways to manage Multiple Sclerosis, I learned that there is not one single nutrition plan that works for everyone with MS. Some do great eating gluten, and some don’t. Some do great eating red meat, and some don’t. Doctors need to work with their patients and trust that the patient may know more about their body. Which leads me to…

Collaboration

• This is a must for the doctor and patient relationship to be successful. It is also a must for doctors specializing in different fields to collaborate with each other to best help improve a patient’s health. The modern-day à la carte system does not benefit the patient and can prolong or worsen their condition.

An education built on nutrition, the principal that each patient’s body is unique and should be treated as such, and that teaches doctors to collaborate with one another and their patients would really go a long way toward overhauling our medical system. I strongly believe improving our medical system has to start with formal education.

Patients are educating themselves using the vast resource that is the Internet. In our virtual communities, regardless the illness or disease, we collaborate with each other and learn that our bodies are unique and how they may be affected by nutrition. Perhaps it isn’t until enough doctors become patients that the curriculum taught in non-alternative medical schools will be overhauled.

Disclaimer: Having never been a medical student, I most certainly don’t know the intricate details of the curriculum currently offered to students at non-alternative medical schools. I know a good amount of people working in the health industry—hospital owners, nurses, doctors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, patients, etc.—and feel as though I have a generic enough understanding of the education provided at these schools to propose an overhaul. What I think I know could be incorrect and I welcome any dialog that may clarify my understanding.

As part of WEGO Health’s third Health Activist’s Writer’s Month Challenge, I am challenging myself to write 30 posts in 30 days using prompts provided for the event. Wish me luck, or join me!

HAWMC 2013 – Day 4: Sharing Resources for Natural Treatment

Today, I added a Resources page that includes links to the articles, blogs, books, and communities I have relied on over the past three years. Not all the links are about natural treatment, but were helpful to me in one way or another and the advice and information in some contradict with one another. Much like using pharmaceuticals as a disease modifying therapy, where some people try many different drugs until they find the one(s) that work for them, treating your condition with nutrition and lifestyle will also be custom tailored to you, your body, and way of living.

Spend time reading and watching everything you can and start making changes that make sense for you. If you know you are lactose intolerant, cut dairy completely out of your diet. If you really don’t enjoy running for exercise, stop running and start moving in a way you enjoy. Etc., etc., etc. Soon enough your treatment plan will begin to take shape and you will start feeling better.

Please share any additional resources for natural treatment that have been helpful for you. I don’t have much time for Internet research these days and would love to learn about what else is available.

As part of WEGO Health’s third Health Activist’s Writer’s Month Challenge, I am challenging myself to write 30 posts in 30 days using prompts provided for the event. Wish me luck, or join me!

Hey Lady, Why You Treat Me So Bad?

The Fall sickies are going around, and I was not spared a visit. While it sucks missing work and feeling awfully terrible, it’s also a welcome reminder to take care of my body. Well, it’s more than that. Because my body can’t talk to me, to submit a request that I do a better job of caring for it, it’s only method of communication is taking over. So this bout of sickness I’ve been experiencing is like my body submitting that request in all caps and exclamation marks in quadruplicate at the end of each… ah… request.

If I were to sit down and have a chat with my body, it might go something like this.

Body: Hey, lady. Can you spare a few minutes of your time?

Me: Sure. What’s up?

Body: Well, as you know, you have ignored the warning signs I’ve been sending you.

Me: Warning signs? Whatever are you talking about?

Body: Oh c’mon. You know. I know you know because the information is in your brain. You put it there.

Me: What?

Body: Really? I have to spell it out for you?

Me: Apparently.

Body: That’s because your brain is foggy. That crap food you keep eating is fogging your brain up, reducing your cognitive abilities. That’s a warning sign, lady.

Me: Oh. Yeah. That.

Body: And why do you continue to treat your headaches with ibuprofen? All you have to do is stop eating that crap food.

Me: [hangs head] *sigh* I know.

Body: You are putting more crap in me to fix the problems caused by the crap that’s already there! Are you insane?

Me: [blank stare]

Body: Yes, yes you are. You keep doing the same thing expecting different results.

Me: I’m not expecting different results!

Body: [blank stare]

Me: Ok, fine. What else?

Body: How’s your back feeling?

Me: Stiff. But I’m getting old. I’m in my 40s now.

Body: *laughs* Old? You have got to be kidding me. LADY, YOU AREN’T EXERCISING!!!! (there they are, in quadruplicate)

Me: But I don’t have time.

Body: Like hell you don’t. I can read your mind. I know you know how to make time.

Me: You suck.

Body: NO U!!!!  (uh oh)

Me: I see that you are frustrated with me.

Body: You could say that. You are not helping me help you and, in fact, are preventing me from doing my job. The next time you are exposed to a cold or the flu, my defense & offense teams will not be equipped to fend the buggers off. Lady, YOU are my enemy.

Me: Now, that’s crazy!

Body: No, it’s not. And to help me make my point, I’m taking you down and I’m taking you down hard.

Me: *gulps* Ouch. My throat hurts!

Body: [stares with piercing eyes]

Me: Hey! You can’t do that.

Body: [stares with even more piercing eyes]

Me: *coughs* I don’t feel good. *nose runs*

Body: [stares with the kind of piercing eyes that burn through souls]

Me: [crawls in bed, mutters softly to self: Mommy…]

Stay tuned for a continuation, in which I will discuss the concept of our human bodies as their own entities. I tried to fit it here, but I think it’ll work out better as its own post. Until then, you can feel sorry for my body and think about what your body would say to you.

A Few Bad Days; A New Symptom

I missed a few days of work this week. The first day missed was due to fatigue and cramps as a result of my monthly cycle. Some months it passes unnoticed, other months it is all I can notice. I don’t know how the severity is determined month-to-month, but it certainly varies and seems to be unpredictable. Or there could be a pattern, like once a month per quarter, that I have yet to pick up on. It may be worth my while to look into that; added to list of things to do someday.

Anywho,* when my monthly cycle gives me a hard time, the hard part usually lasts 1-2 days and I’m back to my normal self soon after. But not this week. I’ve been experiencing brain fog big time, making it hard to concentrate and focus. I’m. So. Very. Tired. All. Of. The. Time. I discover myself reciting the lyrics to I’m So Tired by The Beatles, although I have slept a wink. I’ve also been slightly woozy; not dizzy, but not 100% woozy. Just, off. It can be hard to describe what these sensations feel like.

I took another day off and stayed home to rest. But the following day at work, I’m still not feeling well. Better, but not better.

The most concerning thing has been the development of a possible new symptom. I first noticed it about a week and a half prior to the start of my monthly cycle. It’s in the lower part of my left leg and, again, difficult to describe. It’s not numb, it’s not tingly, and I know it’s not foot drop, a symptom commonly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). It could be the first signs of foot drop. God, I hope not. I would like to avoid difficulties with walking.

The silly thing is that it could have nothing to do with my MS and is actually caused by me sitting on my rump all day long most every day… Working! Oh, and vegging on the computer at night. Years ago I experienced what might have been sciatica in my left leg, to which the doctor attributed sitting for extended periods of time.

Or, I could be experiencing an MS mini-episode and the sciatica I experienced pre-diagnosis was MS-related.

Or, I’m an inactive aging person and this is perfectly normal for someone who is almost 41.

Le sigh.

Regardless the reason, I know what I’m not doing and I know what I need to do to improve my health and keep me on my feet. I need to lose a few pounds anyway, and get in shape so I can buy some new work clothes! Since my initial 20-pound loss, my wardrobe has been in limbo and it’s beginning to get a little sad… and worn out… because I wear the same things each week.

New shiny things can be a great short-term motivator; optimal health & proving it can be achieved without pharmaceuticals an even greater long-term motivator.

Shiny!

Becoming Well: The Importance of Vitamin D, Minerals, Your Gut and the Nutritional Interventions Necessary for Good Health

Tonight, I’m participating in the first part of a three-part webinar series with Dr. Terry Wahls and hosted by Leanne Ely of SavingDinner.com. All sessions begin at 8:00 p.m. ET and are outlined below.

1. Today, September 20th, Session 1: The Incredible Importance of Vitamin D & Minerals. Your vitamin D levels are critical; which minerals you must have daily for optimal health. Inadequate mineral intake is associated with the top 10 causes of death and disability; 2/3 of Americans are deficient!
2. Tuesday, October 30th, Session 2: Friend or Foe? Who or What is Living in YOUR Gut? Your gut is your second brain; how to heal a leaky gut, practical steps.
3. Thursday, November 15th, Session 3: It’s Time for an Intervention! Your food is the basis of health or of chronic disease; nutritional interventions that may save your health!

Anyone can register. The information presented is for everyone and not exclusive for people with MS or other chronic conditions or diseases. Everyone needs to know this stuff! If you are interested in attending, you can do so via http://savingdinner.com/wahlswebinar/.

* I just figured out where “anywho” came from! It’s anyhow mistyped. And, being Ms. Newb, I am probably the only one that did not know this.

5 Steps to Getting Back on Track

Now that I’m feeling better—yes, recovering from my not-so-favorite time of the month can take awhile—I want to document the steps I am taking to get back on track. These steps also work for a weight loss program, not a diet, but a program involving lifestyle change. I lost 20 pounds after I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and began cutting dairy and gluten from my diet, which was a bonus side effect to treating my MS naturally.

1. Begin saying NO to gluten/dairy/sugar-laden foods.

Begin, as in allowing a slip up here and there. Every time I make the right choice, a small battle is won in the bigger fight for eliminating these foods from my diet. This way I can celebrate each victory, making a positive movement upward toward my ultimate goal of complete elimination. If I say yes, I chalk it up to a minor defeat and look forward to the next battle, with determination to win!

A few YESes help balance out all those NOs. Say yes to more vegetables. Instead of wondering what to do with that bag of broccoli wasting away in the fridge, chop some up and add them to a salad. Instead of that yummy looking pastry, get a bag of mushrooms at the farmer’s market or grocery store and add them to that salad.

2. Combat cravings with water.

When a craving for any gluten/dairy/sugar-laden food hits, drink water. While it doesn’t satisfy the content of the craving, it does not go unanswered, free to pester me with its temptation. Drinking water acknowledges the craving, but does not give in to it.

In addition to helping me combat my cravings, it also helps me work toward what seems a ridiculous goal of drinking the recommended half my weight of water in ounces each day.

Currently, I start the day with a full 33.8 ounce bottle of water. I manage to down about half of it, which is almost one-quarter the amount I should be drinking. I’ve got a long way to go!

3. Whistle while you work.

Whistling, or bursting into song, at any given moment can only result in positive energy and happiness. Especially for those around you! I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen or heard anyone whistling or humming angrily to themselves. Is that even possible?

Essentially, this is about choosing to be happy with whatever you are doing whenever you are doing it. Making changes that will  improve your lifestyle is a good thing. It is a thing worthy of celebration.

If whistling or singing are not your thing, then create a playlist of songs that make you happy, and play it often.

4. Connect with the MS Community.

There’s a huge online community of people with MS. HUGE! But I don’t spend a lot of time participating in it. I spend most of my online time reading about and looking up topics that interest me. Currently, that would be food and gardening.

Reading up on how others are dealing with their MS, particularly those who have also chosen to treat it naturally, reminds me that I’m not alone. Sometimes I get lucky and come across gems, such as The Cancer Gene over at The Self-Healing Coach. What affected me most was in Karen’s response to Greg’s comment:

illnesses are indeed the universe’s calling to us to evolve. evolve or die. and though some choose the latter, the call to evolve is a great one to get, if you answer it and step up. and i consider myself privileged to have received it

Wow. You see what she did there? She made some really yummy lemonade with her basket of lemons. Considering my diagnosis to be a calling from the universe to help contribute to humanity’s evolution is revolutionary, to say the least. How can I say no?

So yeah, connecting with the MS community can not only serve as a reminder that I’m not the only one living with it, but it can push my reset button, providing me with a ginormous ah-ha moment… with fireworks.

5. Plan and prepare.

Ugh. This is where everything can fall apart for me, and usually does. If I do not plan and prepare, I am more apt to eat food I shouldn’t.

When starting out, or getting back on track, the simpler the plan the better. For one week, eat the same food for lunch, breakfast, and then dinner. Have a piece of chicken and handful of baby carrots for breakfast every day. Cut up a piece of chicken and put it on a salad for lunch. Cook frozen vegetables for dinner, and eat them with a piece of chicken.

The preparation for that simple plan is shop for frozen chicken breasts, frozen vegetables, baby carrots, lettuce or spinach, and other fruit/vegetables/nuts for the salads. On Sunday, cook enough chicken for the week, maybe even shred some baby carrots for the salads, and chop/slice/dice the other salad ingredients.

It’s really quite simple and, yes, plain. I add flavor with spices and seasonings, my favorite being olive tapenade with the chicken and vegetables for dinner.

So, that’s it. Those are the things I’m doing to help me get back on track and hopefully return to that “best-I’ve-ever-felt” state of mind and being I experienced last summer.

There are certainly more steps and things to do, such as eliminating coffee or exercising, but these are the foundational steps that help me get moving in the right direction.

Can’t vs. Don’t

I’m working on the way I perceive the food choices I need to make on a daily basis. It truly is an exercise in mental fortitude. I’m discovering how much my emotions come in to play when I’m presented with making a decision about what or what not to eat.

I have also discovered that it’s much easier to make good choices when I’m feeling great and energized. Whereas when fatigue has set in hard, or I’m PMSing and feeling crappy anyway, it’s much easier to make bad choices.

I recently came across a fantastic post over at Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, Foods to Enjoy, which has encouraged me to switch my thinking about food choices from “I can’t eat that.” to “I don’t eat that.” What a difference one word can make!

It is important to just say, I don’t eat this anymore and be done with it, rather than tormenting yourself with what you are ‘missing out on’.

And boy, have I been tormenting myself!

I need to plan ahead so that I’m prepared for the times when I’m emotionally down and tempted to lift my spirits with food I DON’T eat anymore. Food is my medicine. I’m taking a dose each and every time I eat. If my dose is bad, it’s going to hurt… and it does. It’s probably like missing a daily/weekly shot, if I had chosen that type of treatment.

Image via Wikipedia

So… planning ahead… what does that look like?

Predetermined options to combat cravings.

I may have to research this a bit. What could I replace for a fast food burger craving? Something salty, perhaps.

Don’t get caught with your pants down.

Always have the right food choices available, else I am at risk of taking a bad dose. We have gotten in the habit of making sure there are always veggies & chicken in the freezer, so I’ve almost got this one covered. I think we just need to get into a good habit of buying more, bulk style, so my pantry doesn’t get caught with its pants down. So instead of one bag of veggies, buy two.

Food prep.

Life is just fantabulous when I take the time to do this. And really, it doesn’t take that much time. An example would be to chop up a cup of walnuts to put on my salads for lunch at work. Easy peasy, right? I just have to be diligent about setting aside the time to do this (well, not just chopping walnuts!). Sundays seem to be an ideal day. And if Sunday is taken up by something else, I still need to set aside the time.

Meal planning.

Ugh.

It seems easy. It seems productive.

Ugh.

I would definitely need help from the husband and kids to make this work.

Plan for eating out.

For restaurants, look up their menu online. If they don’t have one, call and ask about their gluten/dairy free options. If they don’t have any, suggest some restaurants that do. If there aren’t any, move.

For eating at other people’s houses, politely inquire as to what will be served. If you don’t eat any of it, make your own dish and bring it to share. It’s an opportunity to share how good healthy eating can taste!

This is something I’ve been doing and it’s worth it. I made gluten/dairy free pumpkin bars that were a hit at a birthday celebration this past weekend. I was so proud of myself!

To sum up.

• Practice trading out the word can’t for don’t: I don’t eat ice cream! (and I haven’t for some time now)
• Plan, prepare, anticipate, look ahead…
• Have fun with trying new things!

Oh, and I just received my Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis book today! I am looking forward to reading it!

Related Articles

• How Planning Pays Off in Weight Loss (weightloss.org)
• Gluten Free Diet for Kids (justslimming.com)
• Finding Your Very Own Gluten Free Diet (justslimming.com)
• Foods You Can Offers Lifeline for Food Allergy Sufferers (prweb.com)

Resources: Reading and Watching

Cover via Amazon

I created a list of books I’m reading, or plan to read, on Amazon – Treating Multiple Sclerosis Naturally. I got the idea from LinkedIn, where you can incorporate an Amazon.com reading list into your profile. Unfortunately, the feature is exclusive to LinkedIn. You can setup your own list on Amazon using the Listmania! feature, and can then grab a shareable link. I’m sharing my link in the menu on the right side.

After my diagnosis, my husband came across a seven-part series on YouTube featuring Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, speaking to an audience about the diet in relation to Multiple Sclerosis. He goes into detail about how dairy, gluten, and nightshades negatively affect us. He packs a lot of information into his presentation, so it’s probably worth watching a few times. I know I need to watch it again!

Related Articles

• Homeopathic Remedies for Multiple Sclerosis (homeopathy.suite101.com)
• Next-Generation Paleo Diet Signals Change to Kitchens World-Wide (prweb.com)

Fell Off the Wagon, and it Hurt!

So I’m doing good, eating healthy (no dairy or gluten) and feeling great when along comes “that time of month” and with it, cravings. They are incredibly hard to resist. Brownies were consumed, pizza a few times, cheese here and there, coffee in the evenings, and even ice cream! My body simply cannot handle such foods any longer. I get a painful headache and become very sensitive to noise & light. The headache does not go away, even after taking Ibuprofen or Aleve. They would have done the trick before my diagnosis. Or, more accurately, before my first (and only, so far) episode in February.

It’s really quite easy to make up excuses… too easy! Next month, I’ll have to resist the cravings. Once I give in to one, it makes it that much easier to give in to another, and then another, and then another. And then I find myself in pain. There’s no question about it now, what I eat affects my MS. The week before I felt the best I’ve felt in a really long time. I had more energy, was happier, more motivated, and I really want to return to that state of being. Right now, I’m lethargic, my head hurts like heck, I’m unmotivated and would simply prefer to be lying in bed than doing anything else.

That’s unacceptable. Especially to my family. It’s not fair that they have to suffer along with me because I’ve been eating poorly. It’s not fair to my employer either. Missing time at work because I don’t feel well could have been prevented had I not gave in to my cravings.

The human body is truly amazing. If you listen and pay attention, your body will let you know what it needs and doesn’t need. Although my experience thus far isn’t an official scientific study, it’s enough proof for me that what we eat has so much more to do with the health and condition of our bodies than we know. Doesn’t it just make sense? Garbage in, garbage out. Right?

Oh, and I really have to make the point that this is not exclusive to people with MS, or any other illness or disease. This is true for anyone and everyone. If you are reading this and have not been diagnosed with an illness or disease, try cutting dairy or gluten from your diet and see what happens. I’d start with just one or the other and commit to giving it up for a week. Be your own scientific study and learn how to listen to your body!

Recipe: Apple, Carrot, Raisin Salad

Image via Wikipedia

This is great for breakfast. It just needs some protein for a complete meal. An egg, not fried, or even a piece of grilled chicken would do. You could also make this for lunch, a side for dinner, or eat it for dessert!

Apple, Carrot, Raisin Salad
1 apple, chopped or cubed
1 carrot, grated
1 handful of raisins
1 dash of cinnamon
1 handful of walnuts
2 tbsp of flax seed

• Chop the apple (with peel), grate the carrot (with peel) and put in a bowl large enough for stirring. Toss in the raisins.
• Put the walnuts, flax seed, and cinnamon in a coffee grinder and grind for a few minutes. The oil from the walnuts and flax seed will make the mixture somewhat pasty. Dump it into the bowl.
• Stir and eat. It’s so yummy!
• Alternatively, you could chop the walnuts instead of grinding them. Make it how you like!

Flax seed and walnuts are both excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

I got the basic recipe from The Paleo Diet book. I added the walnuts and flax seed.

Related Articles

• Study: A Handful of Walnuts a Day May Help Keep Stress Away (healthland.time.com)
• Top 5 Cancer-Fighting Foods (healthadel.com)
• Flaxseed Fights Cancer, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease (food-facts.suite101.com)

Lifestyle Change Ain’t Too Easy

It’s been a little over 10 weeks since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). At my spinal tap appointment, the neurologist presented my husband and I with packets/binders of information on three different pharmaceuticals. We were supposed to choose one of the three and, if the diagnosis was positive, return to him with our decision.

We didn’t open any of them.

It just didn’t make sense that a person is diagnosed with a disease and the only option presented for treatment are drugs. Chemically crafted concoctions… to inject into one’s body. Really? That’s it?

Thank God for the Internet. There is so much information about MS on the web. It can be overwhelming at times, but we soon discovered a commonality with alternative treatments. Food. Managing my MS with how I eat, and dealing with the side effects of losing weight and improving my all around health, sounded like the right thing to do for me.

Over the past two months, I’ve read about the Paleo diet, Swank diet, and Anti-Inflammation diet. Not diets for losing weight mind you, although it is a nice side effect, but diets for a permanent lifestyle change to improve overall health and to treat my MS.

Dairy-Free

What really hit home for me was the recommendation to cut dairy. I’m lactose intolerant. Ironically, I love creamy and cheesy foods. My favorite soups are creams of this or that, my favorite dessert is ice cream, and I can’t get enough cheese. Boy, how I love cheese! After consuming dairy, I feel congested, phlegmy, and sluggish. Because of this, I had already reduced my dairy intake.  Since my diagnosis, I continued to reduce my dairy intake to almost nothing. It’s only been in the past week that I have entirely removed it from my diet.  My last piece of pizza was Sunday, May 9… mmmm… yummy melted cheese on pizza! My last ice cream was also May 9 – in celebration of Mother’s Day with the kids… mmmm… Coldstone!

What’s been interesting to observe this past week is that I continue to feel congested, and it seems to be worse! The skin around my chin and jaw line has broken out, which usually doesn’t happen unless it’s my time of the month. I can only assume it’s just my body clearing up the dairy residue. I wonder how long it will last and how I’ll feel once I’m completely cleared up. Maybe my voice will change!

Both the Paleo and Anti-Inflammation diets recommend to stop eating dairy products as well as gluten.

Gluten-Free

Maple Bacon Bar

Oh noes! I grew up learning that bread, cereal, and grains are the foundation of the food pyramid and should be eaten at every meal. Hoo boy, this would be a little more challenging, but certainly doable. I’ve replaced my weekday morning oatmeal with a piece of grilled chicken and handful of baby carrots. No more sandwiches, which were great for on the go meals/snacks. No more pasta. Sigh. No more pastries. NO MORE VOODOO DOUGHNUTS!! Cries.

The last gluten product I ate was wheat berries in a salad on May 12. And you know what? I’ve been feeling really good this past week! Clearing my diet of dairy and gluten has allowed me to discover that when I start “losing it” – feeling very tired, getting a bad headache, being grumpy – I need to eat.

The Most Important Ingredient

Cutting food groups from one’s daily diet sounds simple enough, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds! Did you know the most important ingredient for any recipe is time? I sometimes wonder if giving myself an injection would be a decent trade off for finding time to prepare food. The direct exchange of time would be worth it. But the long term effects are not. In a way, I am thankful that MS has motivated me to finally quit dairy altogether, and encourage me to learn more about diet and nutrition. It’s good information that benefits anyone, not just people who are sick or living with disease. Actually, eating healthy prevents sickness and disease. But for some reason or other, such knowledge is kept under wraps. Whatever would happen to the dairy or grain industries if our doctors practiced preventative care and taught their patients proper nutrition?

Something to think about.

Anyhow, I was unexpectedly presented with the fact that my lifestyle change isn’t just about what I eat. I have to change the way I spend my time! That’s more of a challenge for me, but one I am slowly overcoming. It will take time to make time.

Coffee/Caffeine

I’ve already knocked the habits of adding cocoa (contained dairy) to my coffee and drinking it after 4:00 in the afternoon. For sweetener, I now use turbinado sugar. I have also considerably reduced my consumption of coffee in the afternoon (around 3:00/4:00). It’s between the hours of 3 and 4 right now and I have to fight the urge to go get a coffee. I’m beginning to feel tired and my mind starts slowing down about now.

I should eat!

*runs off for a snack*

Related Articles

• Next-Generation Paleo Diet Signals Change to Kitchens World-Wide (prweb.com)
• Gluten-Free Has Gone Big Time, but Why So Popular? (abcnews.go.com)
• Complete Idiot’s Guide for Gluten Free Cooking in Bookstores on November 2, 2010 (prweb.com)