Why Take Probiotics?

I talk to people everyday about probiotics, but when you don't understand what probiotics are or what they do, it's hard to explain why we need to take them. 

Maybe you already drink probiotic drinks like Kefir Water or Kombucha, but you want to know the "why" behind the "what". Or maybe you think its all a gimmick and you dont want to jump on a trendy train... well this video will be very helpful to anyone trying to understand probiotic benefits or who is suffering with a "mystery illness". 

I have been suffering from a "mystery illness" for 15 years, and since I started drinking homemade probiotic water I have seen the most improvement in my health... ever. If you want to read more posts on it you can click here. 

I wish every American would take the time to watch this and get educated. Its very well done, 

enjoy!

Water Kefir Immune Boost & Recipe

Water Kefir (NON-Dairy) is the newest addition to my immune boosting protocol. Of course you probably know about the many benefits of drinking kefir, especially for the probiotic factor, but when my friend gave me some kefir grains a couple months ago I had no idea that this was going to give me the boost it did. 

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Water Kefir?

You can find a good list of benefits here: kefir tibicos, but heres a quick list of my own:

• Natural Probiotic 
• Digestive Strength
• Fights inflammation
• Fights free-radicals
• Strengthens immune system overall
• Increases energy
• Increases mobility
• Fights depression, enhances mood

If you are on a tight budget or time-frame, this is the easiest and lowest-cost regiment you will ever make. Here's a link to  Cultures for Health where you can purchase a starter kit. 

 

What Weakens the Immune System?

Strictly speaking from someone who struggles with immune health, these are the factors I have found that weaken my immune system.

• Poor food choices (Fast Food, Sweets, etc.)
• Lack of sleep
• Lack of Hydration (Water)
• Overexertion
• Stress

For myself, if I mess up on one or two of these, I would literally be sick within 24 hours.  By "sick" I mean low grade fever, chills, body aches,  "flu" - type sick. If I went a few days like that I would end up with a sinus infection and laryngitis. Up until last year, it was typical for me to be sick at least twice a month and have a sinus infection/laryngitis at least 3 times per year.

In previous posts, I have talked about other things I have done to strengthen my immune system, like the Anti-Inflammatory Diet and drinking raw, young coconuts. As with any regiment you are doing to get healthy, you cant just have a "quick fix" and be healthy forever, it has to remain a lifestyle. I am excited to have added water kefir to my daily lifestyle, and heres what its been doing for me.

The miracle for me was that in the 8 weeks I have been drinking water kefir I have had more than the two factors I listed above which would normally diminish my immune system and my body has recovered each day beautifully. No sickness. None. 

While I don't want to make any medical claims, I am stating my testimonial, that water kefir did indeed strengthen my immune system and vitality in a very noticeable way.

Ready for a recipe?

 

Jasmine Ginger Ale Kefir

(Basic Water Kefir Recipe Steps 1-3)

1. Place 1/4 C Water Kefir Grains in Sugar Water (1 Quart bottled water + 1/3 C Raw sugar Dissolved) in Glass Mason Jar.
    (Always make sure the sugar water mix is cool before adding grains)

2. Let sit on counter covered with cloth (I use old t-shirt cut up & rubber-banded.) for 24-48 hrs. (I go 48)

3. Strain out the grains (with cheese cloth or strainer) and bottle the water (1 Quart makes 2 bottles). 

4. Add 1TBSP dried Jasmine, 2 TBSP of raw ginger juiced, and 1 TBSP Coconut Sugar, Honey, or Agave (whatever sweetener you like) *you will want to add something because it will help it frement and get bubbly.

5. Let sit on counter 12-48 more hours capped tight. Then refrigerate. 

Enjoy your bubbly pro-biotic drink!

Juicing for Immune Boosting

Juicing for immune boosting is the primary reason why I do it. If your body feels run down, weak, or diseased compromised, I want to encourage you that you can juice and feel the difference!

First off, let me say that I am no expert on juicing, in fact I feel like a juicer-failure most days. However, there are some basics I have learned in the last year since I watched the movie Fat, Sick , and Nearly Dead. (You can watch it for free) 

We watched the movie in July 2012, then I quickly realized why juicing was such a great way to boost my immune system. Here are the basics on why and how to juice based on my simple experience. I hope my experience and resources will help boost your immune system to. 

Choosing Your Juicer.

Not all juicers are created equally. I did alot of research, which I would like to save you the trouble of, so I'll cut to the chase and tell you the best juicer "type" is a Cold-Press, or Masticating Juicer, that is if you are juicing for the nutrients. Here is a web page explaining the differences between the most common types. (Juicer Types) 

We tried a centrifugal juicer first for a few months, we got less juice pressed, it was loud, and harder to clean. I read a great article which led me to choose the Masticating type. If you are on a tight budget, try looking on craigslist for a used Champion, I hear they last forever, and because they have been around forever, its easy to get replacement parts. 

Our choice? We got an Omega, and we love it. 

Getting Your Vitamins. 

As I said earlier, the epiphany I had when I watched the movie was that no matter how much good food I eat or vitamins I take, it simply was never enough. In fact, most vitamins I have tried made me fatigued, weak, or sick. After doing tons of research and trying different things I found certain "allergens", for lack of a better term, were hurdles for my body. Most vitamins, either in their contents or coating, contained whey, soy, or corn products which I had discovered were slowing my immune system down. The other problem was that vitamins in pill form may not be absorbing as much as my body needs or distributing evenly. Not all vitamins will work on every body type and my poor body was exhausted trying so many. 

But the beauty of juicing is that juice absorbs right away, you control how much you give your body at any given time, and you can easily avoid your own body's allergens by controlling what you juice. Win. 

Juicing for Fasting

There are lots of article and information on the web about juicing and fasting, I just want to give you a couple of suggestions if you are planning on drinking alot of juice in place of food. This is from my research and experience, I am not giving medical advice, nor suggesting you juice-fast.

1. Increase Slowly

I want to suggest that you don't just decide to juice and stop eating one day. Start by juicing 4 oz. as a nutritional supplement and build your way up to 16 oz. or more a day. We were so excited about juicing we juiced so much that I got so sick of juice! My tummy was not having any more after about 6 months. In hindsight, slow and steady wins the race!

2. Be Wary of Internet Recipes

There are lots of juicing recipes out there, be wary. Keep it simple and organic. I find that the more complicated you make something the harder it becomes to keep up. If your gonna spend a few hundred dollars on a good juicer, don't let it just be a fad for the month. Make juicing a part of your life by keeping it simple. 

3. Don't Mix Fruits and Veges

OK, so this is debatable, but I want to give you my advice, since this is my blog. Why I don't mix them is because:

• It upsets my stomach and I feel nauseous  (and I can tell right away cause I am very in tune with my body)
• It gives me #3 (you should not have diarrhea from juicing)
• You lose some of the nutritional value of the juice from the enzyme arguments happening in your stomach. (here's a decent article on it)

So veges don't taste super great alone so there are a few "neutrals" that can be used. Those would be fruits that fall into both categories of "fruit" and "vegetable", "root", or "herb". Those would be apples, bananas, or carrots. Oh, and don't forget about coconuts, they are amazing in smoothies, and they are not fruit, they are nuts!

Here's the recipe I used (not exact, but these basic ingredients) for many months, in my Juicing 101 post.

Another simple recipe is: S.A.C.K.

Spinach (1 Cup)
Apples (1 Large, or two small)
Carrot (2, or 1 Cupish of baby)
Kale (4 big leaves)


Makes 12 oz bottle. (I reuse glass bottles from iced tea or kombucha, fill them with my juice, and drink 1/2 the bottle at a time.)

- enjoy!

My Favorite Protein Powder

Everyday I talk to people about health and they always want to know what products I use and love, so here is my favorite protein powder. ---------->

Why, you ask? I have actually avoided protein powders for years because they either had ingredients I was opposed to or allergic too, not to mention all the sugar and carbs. 

When I began trying diets to boost my immune system, I discovered a diet that revolutionized my immune building strategy. I'll have to address the diet in another post, but for now, let's just say its a Ketogenic Diet.

If you aren't familar with the word "ketogenic" just think about the Atkins craze a few years back, that diet is one of the many types of ketogenic diets. 

The basic diet requires alot of fat and protein, and little or no carbs. Enter the protein powder. 

Not all protein powders are created equally.

What I needed was ALOT of protein. I went to my neighborhood health food store and turned to the backs of all the protein supplements on the shelf. The first thing I looked at was how much protein I was actually getting per scoop. 

The next thing I looked at was how many carbs and grams of sugar was in each serving. Most of the supplements had a 1 to 1 ratio or worse, meaning that for every one gram of protein there was at least one gram of carbs and/or sugar. 

For a ketogenic diet to work, you need to have a 3 to 1 or greater ratio. 3 grams (protein+fat) for every 1 gram (carbs+sugar). This means I needed ALOT of protein, more than what was in the supplements. 

 Here you can see the ratios quite clear. Protein + Fat = 24 grams, Carbs + Sugar = 5 grams. This is almost a 5 to 1 ratio. Perfect. 

So there you have it, my favorite supplement, and why. 
Oh, and its super affordable too, the best price you ask... Amazon. 

Remember, it pays to read the labels. 

- Gina

Body Pain + Inflamation

It is no secret that pain and sickness of every kind all derive from inflammation in the body, but how do you relieve the body of that inflammatory stress?

I talk to people everyday who are sick, in pain, and want to feel better. Along the way on my own journey to a stronger immune system, here are a few things I have found that have helped.

Before I give you the tips, remember, changing and behavior or creating a new life discipline takes time and hard work. Don't work too hard on the front end or you may throw the towel in before you've had a chance to feel better! Start slow, and change one thing at a time about your disciplines.

 I am also assuming also that you are aware of some of the obvious things, but if you are not, this list below is after you have mastered staying away from fast foods and processed foods. NEVER eat anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, I'll blog on that later, or MSG ! (Did you know HFCS is in almost every loaf of bread on the market? and MSG is in almost every bag of potato chips and salad dressing! Shocking, I know! Always read labels!)

OK, I am giving you the top 3, there are a lot more, but these have been the the steady anchor for my health and are proven to help everyone despite the illness/health challenge.

1. Sleep.

When my doctor said, "how are you sleeping at night?" I said, I sleep great. I love to sleep, I can lay on the floor right now and take a nap." She explained that the amt. of sleep has nothing to do with it. The quality of sleep determines whether or not your body is properly repairing in the night. Since your body repairs at night, your sleep should be solid (un-interupted), and you should get REM, or "deep sleep". Here is a great article on how your sleeping:SLEEP

• Go to bed earlier. Sleep as close to the Sun's schedule as possible to optimize melatonin production. You may consider talking to your doctor about taking a melatonin supplement.

• Power down. Do not charge your phone next to your bed. Turn off your wifi at night and all other power in and around where you sleep. We have experimented with this and its true! More on EMF interrupting your brain resting here: Electropollution 

2. Water.

I personally drink 44-64 oz per day. When available, I drink 9.0 ph Alkaline water. If drinking water is hard for you, make it fun. Buy a dispenser container to keep in the fridge so you can monitor the amt. you are drinking. Fill it with lemon slices, cucumbers, or whatever makes it more exciting!
       For added oxygen to your red blood cells, add a few drops of chlorophyll (you can get plain or mint flavored).  This is also a cancer preventative, those red blood cells need to breath and if they are thriving they will work for your whole health!
       In addition to water drinking, green tea is also a great antioxidant,  and I have read that Japanese Green Tea is the best anti-cancer tea of the greens.

3. Starches

Starches are the big bad dudes that cause inflammation and body pain. So if you want to start somewhere, start there. Here's what to cut out:

• White Flour (or all grain/flour)
• White potatoes
• White Rice (or all rice)
• Sugar 

Think of starches in terms of carbs.  The more carbs your body takes in, the harder your body has to work to process that food. The harder your body works to process food, the less energy it has to heal itself, as it was designed to. To get rid of inflammation you sinply have to take all the props out of the way so your body can simply "do it's job".

Again, there are many more, but start here, and I'd love to hear you share your stories and testimonies!

to life!

Sore Throat Relief

 Throat Relief? YES! I have had too many sore throats to count, but guess what friends... I actually found a concoction that worked!
     The doctor said my chronic throat pain has been from allergies, stomach acid, and clearing my throat too much. Maybe they are right, but this last sore throat was so bad I actually took motrin! (which I never do because, yes, the next day my tummy was jacked up) So I decided to ask Dr. Google for some new home remedies to try, I mean I've had sore throats for 20 years, YES, 20 years!!
     First, I have to confess, I knew that Apple Cider Vinegar was good for sooooo many things, but I would never, i mean never, succumb to let it touch my lips, but I was desperate. I found these ingredients online and adjusted them a bit to suit my weak and queazy tummy. I drank this about 11 am, then again about noon, and poof! Sore throat KICKED! Yeah Baby!



Sore Throat Remedy Recipe:

1 Fresh Organic Lemon Squeezed (use every drop!)
2 Heaping TBSP Organic Honey
2 Capfuls (or more if you can handle it) Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup Boiled Water

Mix the first three together in a cup, add the boiled water, stir until honey is completely dissolved, and drink up! Smells like vinegar, but does not taste bad at all!

to health!
gina

Juicing 101

Because we have had many conversations with folks who say, "I want to juice! Where do I start?" we felt like we needed to put together a "Juicing 101" article.

I have to admit I love talking about health with others who are on that same journey, but admittedly, I am still learning.

       First, about juicing, juicing alone doesn't mean your healthy. There are lots of life changes that make people healthy. In fact, I will not wear the label myself until I actually exercise regularly. However, if you made no other dietary changes other than adding 16-24 Oz of organic vege juice per day, you'd be alot more healthier.

      Also, I want to mention that if strange juice freaks you out, you are not alone. I had a really hard time my whole life with anything other than V8 or and Odwalla- that was as far as I could go. So I am gonna give you a couple tips on an easy start.

What kind of juicer you use does matter, you can take my word for it since I spent the 10 hours researching already, or you can do more research on your own. I suggest a juicer like this: Champion or Omega. We use the Omega J8006. I also try to use the pulp extracted in muffins, meatloaf, and anything else I can creatively come up with.

OK, here's my basic green recipe. (remember, anything 'green' really should be organic)

Gina's Green Juice

2 Medium Organic Apple (yes! organic! They are #1 on the Dirty Dozen List!) 2 Stalks Celery
1/2 Large Cucumber 1 Large Golden Beet + Beet Greens (or Red Beet) 2 Cups Cut Kale (or 4 Large Kale Leaves) 2 Cups Spinach (sometimes we substitute Chard or other greens if we're out of spinach) 2 Large Carrots (Johnny uses 6, which adds about 4 more ounces) 1 Sliver of fresh ginger

     Chop everything to fit in your juicer well, always juice harder items first,  i.e. carrots, beets, etc, apples last. I put leafy stuff in after my beets and before my carrots. That seems to push the most juice out of my spinach etc.

Oh and if you use red beets, you wont have green juice... you'll have brown juice. Tastes the same, looks questionable :)

enjoy!

Eating Organic on a Tight Budget

Eating organic on a tight budget is hard, but not impossible. It was ingrained in me that I "couldn't afford to eat organic" for years, and I honestly don't know where that came from. Sure, organic produce is a little more expensive, but when you look at your grocery bill as a whole, organic living doesn't break the bank.

Healthy Eating Costs Alot. False.

     For example, before we sought out to eat "real" food, I was spending $3 on a box of 6 granola bars, $4 on a box of 6-8 fruit snacks, $3 or more on a small jar of peanut butter (we make our own now), and I can't count what was spent on cheese. The biggest difference now, is we make our snacks, and rarely buy packaged snacks. We also eat little dairy products, so what we do buy, like eggs and butter, we buy in bulk and save $. Also, because we are a bigger family, one box of a snack wouldn't cover my families needs, I would usually have to buy 2 or more packages of everything.
    So when you take into consideration that we are saving money on those items, I can pay an extra $1 per pound on apples, or chard. Look at your bill, and see what things (like snacks and other convenient items) you can make yourself and save money on!

   Doesn't this take a long time? Yes. Honestly, because I have struggled with health, there are many weekends I do not have the physical ability to prep our food for the week, like today, but start by replacing one item at a time and it will eventually become a good healthy habit.

What is "Real Food"?

   If you are saying to yourself, "I want to get healthy but I have NO idea where to start". Here's my 1.2.3...

Look at the labels on your packaged foods. Throw away anything that says in the ingredients:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup
2. Monosodium Glutamate
3. Hydrogenated, or Partially Hydrogenated Oils (of any kind)

You are on your way! Wait,  you say? There's no MSG in anything anymore! Oh my dear friends, check your Doritos, or your Ranch Dressing. Sad, sad, sad. It snuck back into everything while we weren't paying attention.

Discontinuing buying these items will save you money right now! In fact, Costco sells Organic Heinz Ketchup, with no HFCS, for $6.99 for 2  44oz bottles! We were paying 2.99ish per bottle of the bad stuff before with almost half that size bottle!

Organic Produce

Lastly, I want to address produce. I am not a big believer in everything being "organic" labeled, story for another time, but regarding produce, there are pluses and minus to organic. If you are like me, watching your wallet, your saying, "what produce absolutely has to be organic for my family to be safe?"

Well, let me just tell you what I do, and maybe that could help? First, it depends on what I am doing with it. Personally, I don't care if it's organic if I am cooking it. I figure the toxic stuff will die when its boiled. If its not something I am cooking thoroughly, or I am eating it raw, or juicing it, I follow the Dirty Dozen list. Basically, organic produce is better for you, as it is thought to be more nutritious, but no one really knows how much better. What we do know, is depending on the amount  pesticide saturation, organic produce is proven to be safer. For my pocketbook, I follow the dozen, plus the extra two. (Because I juice raw veges daily to boost my immune system, I want my greens organic.)

The lowest priced organic produce we have found here in the bay area, California, is at Trader Joe's and Sunflower Market, though we are investigating purchasing from local farmers.

What have you done already to get healthier? Do you have any tips or tricks on saving money and eating well? I'd love to hear!

Happy Sunday!
- gina

40-Days of Wellness

Today is a big day. It marks 40 days of wellness for me! I haven't spoken too much publicly about my health battle, other than some facebook posts, but I have had this on again-off again deteriorating immune system. There has been no physical medical reason for it other than a combination of smaller variables, like low vitamin D (which every American has) etc.

In an effort to minimize my chronic throat flare ups and sinus infections (usually about 6-10 per year) I had my tonsils out May 24 of this year. My immune system was outraged, and in return I was hit with some mega virus. I decided that would be the "last virus"!

Prior to June 26th of this year, I was sick on average 2 days out of every week, which in January of this year increased to only two non-sick days in between "bugs".  My kids thought I was dying because they pretty much only saw me in bed when I was home. After the tonsillectomy, I spent many hours online researching how to boost my immune system, and that's when I found the blog that changed my life. www.chrisbeatcancer.com

One of the first articles I read was about the Coconut Smoothie. I was intrigued, and desperate. I live down the street from several Asian markets, so my husband ran out and got me some Raw Young Coconuts. [you can look and see if there is a ranch 99 near you here]

So today was my 40th day eating a raw coconut. (Well, one day I had to settle for coconut water canned, but that was it!) Most days I made the smoothie on Chris' website, but if I couldn't for some reason, I at least had the coconut.  (click here for the Coconut Smoothie Recipe)

I did do other things too, but the coconut was consistent every day. [Benefits of Eating Fresh Coconut Here]

So how has my life changed so far?

1. When I have felt worn down I normally would wake up sick the next day. So far at least 4 times my body's immune system kicked in and I didn't get sick!
2. I had only enough energy to make it til 2 pm or so each day. So when I would get home, I couldn't cook, do laundry, or anything! In the last week I have taken the kids out (totally new thing), worked in the garden, caught up on laundry, cooked meals, shopped, in addition to just getting back from a kids camp!
3. Before, I was very foggy headed and needed that caffeine in the morning, mid-day, and sometimes even before bed. Now, I am going 2-3 days before feeling the urge for a little coffee, I have no headaches, and my mind is thinking so clearly.
4. The coolest thing, is that my kids now LOVE coconut and line up at the counter for a sip of the water each morning, and I pour them each a little of the raw shake. They think its sweeter than candy! (Oh, and they are off sugar now too!)

I hope I have encouraged you to go after a coconut a day! And hey, if you have a good knife suggestion, please pin it below, we're in the market for a better one!

-gina

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

(I just want to disclaim that I am not a medical professional, nor dietary specialist, the following is based on my opinion and experience.)

Did you know that at the root of every illness is inflammation? I was pretty shocked to find this out, it felt like a secret I was the last one to discover. But all over the web, there are articles that are claiming that by going after inflammation, as the root cause of sickness, you can improve your over-all health.

I have struggled with many obscure health problems since I was very young, and after having kids, it seemed even harder to stay healthy. When my now 9 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Junior Onslaught Type 1 Diabetes, it pushed us to get healthier as a family. The more and more education we got grew the sense of responsibility for our own health, as well as our five children.

Last year I was desperate. I had been getting on virus after another and seemed I hadn't had a "well" day in months. It was a total relapse because I had been doing pretty good up until September of last year. So in January of this year I went on a fast seeking the answer to what was causing my body's immune system to be so weak.

I discovered the "Anti-Inflammatory Diet". There are several online, but the one I chose to try was Dr. Weil's. Take a look at the pyramid if you are interested. I am a very visual person so I don't want to read a book- I want to print out the pyramid and follow it.First let me share my symptoms pre-diet.

symptoms

• All over body pain (diagnosed at age 22 as Fibromyalgia)
• Body aches that felt like I had the "Flu", but all the time
• Tension Headaches (with or without caffeine)
• Regular Sore Throats
• Regular Sinus Infections
• Abdominal Pain
• Exhaustion/Fatigue
• Lack of over-all energy

diagnosis

So I went to the hospital at one point and was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and Hormones out of balance. I got put on medication for both in November of last year. The abdominal pain went away and my energy level did increase a little bit, but not enough. The doctors said that it could take up to six weeks for my energy level to go back to normal. Well, it had been 8 weeks and I was not very much better! So thats when I took matters into my own hands.

here's what I did...

I fasted on Fruits and veges for one week, then juice for a week, then water for a week. I began adding back things into my diet according to the Anti-Inflammatory Diet. I went by the Pyramid on Dr. Weil's Website very strictly for three months. During that time I was really praying about what was right for me. I felt like "wheat" was not a problem for me, as I didn't experience any changing in my body the days I tried it. I also decided meat was not for me. Even thought the diet allows organic chicken and beef, for me I didn't feel like it worked.

I want to explain, that when I started the diet, after my fast, about early February, was when my body changed. So I can not say it was not totally attributed to the fast. However, I didn't lose weight during my fast or feel better. I felt worse. My body ached, I had bad headaches, I just pressed through. The first week of being on the diet though, my pain decreased 75%. Yes, that is right, my pain went down significantly within days!

In two months, I lost (not trying) the last 15 pound of my baby weight that just would never come off. By April, I had so much energy I felt ten years younger. I have felt so good ever since. In fact, I just had a head cold last week that was my first viral sickness since April compared to two-three colds/flus per month!

My physical and emotional energy is actually higher than it has been since before I had kids. I feel like I am at the prime of my life again.

here's what i learned...

• Corn is evil. Stay away from all corn products and bi-products. This is Corn Syrup, Corn Oil, Corn Starch, and the dreaded High Fructose Corn Syrup. This is hard for me as Sour Gummy Worms are my favorite, and every now and then, no big deal, but corn is mutated and not a real vegetable. So take that and modify it some more, you get the picture. I highly encourage you to research it. For me, Corn was the secret to my immune system kicking into gear. When the corn went out, I was able to fight sickness quicker and my energy and metabolism increased dramatically.
• Sugar hurts. We all know sugar is bad, but when I cut it out in conjunction with corn, my body pain left. I mean left.
• Soy, ah. I'm really going to miss you, soy. I loved soy milk and soy products like boca- burgers and such, but every time I ate them I felt so sick after wards. My tummy bloated up and I felt like I was getting the flu. Maybe I have a personal allergy to soy, but it is a "no-no" on the diet as a leading cause for inflammation.
• Dairy slows me down. When I add dairy back into my diet, I feel like I'm dragging in the mud! Not to mention my sore throats and mucus returns with a vengeance. I am pretty convinced that dairy is the cause of my throat problems and sinus problems. I use to be an avid yogurt eater, I miss yogurt, but I like singing more than eating yogurt :) (*If you struggle with Allergies and mucus problems, may I also suggest trying ALJ - by Nature's Sunshine, talk to your local Natural Food store for recommendations - but DO NOT take if you are nursing.)
• Meat also slows me down. You are suppose to feel energized after you eat protein, but meat never makes me feel 'good'. So I just do the wild fish on the diet and that works for me. I have also done some organic eggs here and there without any problems.

My whole family is pretty much off dairy now, and they only eat Poultry and Fish. We have removed all products from the house that contain Soy and Corn. So as a family we are trying to go after being Dairy, Corn, and Soy Free. Sugar here and there and meat some exceptions, but the main three bad guys for my immune system seem to have been targeted.

last note...

You may be wondering about the medications... well on the diet you need a lot of Omega -3, so I did add a daily Omega 3 Fish Oil tab as well as Enzymes and Pro-biotics to my regiment. In picking out my vitamins I noticed corn and whey in the vitamins!! Ahh! So I had to buy my vitamins at the Natural Food Store. I also found out my Thyroid Medication had whey in it!! So I went off of it and started a natural homeopathic for Thyroid. Contact me if you are interested in Thyroid info. But just so you know, I have been off the medication since April and I feel great! No side effects. So I was very enthusiastic to share that when you target the Inflammation it takes care of a multitude of problems!

-Gina