Dairy vs. My Skin

My Skin is Freaking Out 

Ugh!!!!!   That should actually be the title of this post, but no one would know what it was about...for some reason my skin has an absolutely horrible reaction to Dairy (just cow dairy).  I break out in direct response to any dairy in my diet.

This might seem like a very simple thing to avoid and usually I do a good job (although I love cheese I just switched to Goat Cheeses, problem solved).  However, it has been increasingly difficult I have realized to give up my Venti Iced Americano with Half and Half and One Sugar.  I love this treat during a sunny day!!!!  I can sometimes find Almond Milk to take the place of half and half, however that is tricky when I am traveling and since Starbucks only has Coconut milk and Soy Milk I am usually out of luck there.

I have tried Soy milk and I don't like it, plus I have been hearing more and more that women are sometimes getting way too much soy.  (I eat a lot of soy beans so I try and avoid it everywhere else).  I have tried coconut milk and I don't like that either...not thick enough.  I also have thought about non-dairy creamers but they seem highly processed and not very healthy.  

• Do I just give up the drink completely?  
• Do I find a replacement...Berry Refresher (I like those)...they are not the same as a yummy iced coffee tho?
• Do I just deal with the skin reaction and try to keep it under control with topical treatments (so expensive)?

Still trying to decide what to do...what are your treats that you refuse to give up no matter the consequence?

Well since it has been sunny I have had the worst skin and that is the ONLY dairy I have added back into my diet:(  It is so frustrating!!!!!  I am now completely convinced that a lot of our 'ailments' and 'annoyances' are directly related to what we put in our bodies.  

I recently spent a couple days as a guest and of course eat what they had made and prepared for me...it was way off from my usual restrictions, but I would never refuse a meal that someone else has taken the time to put together.  The food was delicious, but my body was not the same afterwards.  I have been sluggish and my skin is breaking out like crazy.  I feel puffy and bloated, I cant wait for those things to get out of my system and feed my body the fresh whole foods it is used to.  Its like I put molasses in the engine of my car and went for a long drive.  UGH!!!!

All the food was filled with meat that wasn't fish, wheat, and dairy.  It is a constant struggle to just live a normal life and also be good to your body and brain.  It explains a lot of what is wrong with Americans and how hard it is for us to make good decisions with what we are surrounded with.

I am going to spend this week trying to clean my eating and add a little more water and tea to my day and make sure I go to my workouts each day.  That should get my skin back on track soon.

Easy Rules for Eating Right

The Easiest Rules for Healthy Eating

These 2 basic strategies will help you make better decisions, and you don't have to think too much!  It is really very easy.  If you want to eat better and feel better it seems there is a million different suggestions that nutritionists, trainers, dietitians, friends, family, and doctors give you.  All of it is probably really great information and useful and accurate, but it becomes overwhelming and then we often don't change anything.

Here are my two rules that I try to stick to with every single meal and every single shopping trip.

1.) Always Have a Colorful Meal (you plate should never be full of all beige food) - Veggies, fruit, and meat that is colorful often means that it is packed full of good nutrients and vitamins.   So when I am having a salad I make sure the lettuce has a lot of different colors of green (not just iceberg), then add things with color like tomatoes, peppers, olives, corn, cucumber, and zucchini.  That is why meat is not meant to be breaded, and really great starches have some color, like baby red potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Even wild rice and beans have a little more color then wheat and mashed potatoes.

2.) Only Shop the Outer Perimeter of the Grocery Store - The most nutrient dense foods and the healthiest are around the outside of the grocery store not down the isles.  There are a couple exceptions of course (balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil, peanut butters, and tuna fish).  When you are shopping make sure you are buying foods with lots of color to them and an expiration date;)

Those are my 2 rules and it works really well for me.  Try it and I think you will find that keeping it that simple will instantly make a difference in the meal choices you make.

6 Month Update

My 6 Month Update 

So I haven't blogged about my nutrition challenge in a long long time, and I think it is time to start up again.  I have been asked what I do for my workouts and what I eat, so it seemed like a good time to start sharing again.

I started changing my diet in late December 2012 and so it has now been 6 months of tyring new things.

1.) Juicing

• I really did want to incorporate juicing into my diet, and I completely failed at that.  I was really only able to do it a couple times...I never developed a taste for it or a routine so it never really stuck. 

2.) No meat, poultry, or pork...fish only.  

• I cut out all meats except for fish.  I do still eat egg whites.  That has been very very easy.   I don't really miss anything.  There have been a few times when I have eaten what someone has made for me so that I am not rude, but I really haven't had a hard time with this new routine at all.

3.) No dairy

• I have tried this one before to help improve my skin. and it works really really well.  There are only a few things that tempt me....cupcakes...cookies....half and half in my iced americano.  Whenever I have one of these items I notice it in my complexion and energy level right away!  It is enough to discourage me about 90% of the time.  

4.) No wheat

• I cut out all wheat (not gluten) just wheat...(not carbs).  I still eat red potatoes and sweet potatoes, I eat rice and oats  and corn or corn chips.  The only thing that made this part challenging was eating things on the go, like in the car.  I had a really hard time finding foods that I could eat when I was in a really big hurry and walking or driving somewhere.  Otherwise I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level and I sleep better without a lot of wheat in my diet.

Side effects of this diet change.  I lost 10 lbs immediately and kept it off all 6 months:)

I will continue my food diary as part of this blog as well as my daily crossfit log in case anyone wants to know about my workouts.  My 'after' pics will be posted by the end of the week as well.  

I still plan on finding a way to incorporate a wider variety of veggies and fruit into my day thru juicing.