My Multiple Streams

Best Way to Start Your Day: Lemon Water

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lemon water for healthWhen my anxiety and stomach issues started up a few years ago I cut out a lot of things from my diet. First sodas then coffee, basically every thing with caffeine and sugars. So now all I drink is water and smoothies, and the water tends to get a little boring after awhile.

So now I drink nothing but filtered water with fresh squeezed lemon, sometimes to cure the carbonation craving ill use Perrier. Typically I will do a 32oz bell jar of iced water and a whole lemon. You can squeeze these by hand but one of the best inventions ever invented is the Lemon Squeezer! You just put a half of a lemon in it and squeeze and you will get so much more juice out of the lemon than hand squeezing, and the best part is that you won’t get the seeds in your drink. If you don’t have one of these you have to get one, just be sure you get a good quality one that is made of metal. I first bought a plastic one to try and save money and it broke after a week. The little bit extra for a metal one will go a long way!

lemon squeezer

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Lemons are packed with vitamins and minerals and great for pain management. Some of the health benefits are:

  • Aids Digestion
  • Boosts Immune System
  • Helps Lose Weight
  • Reduces Inflammation
  • Helps Fight Viral Infections
  • Reduce Anxiety and Depression
  • Prevention of Acne and Wrinkles

Now since I have started (over a year ago) Ive been doing this almost everyday, starting first thing in the morning (best before breakfast) and through out the day. Hasn’t eliminated my health issues totally of course but I do believe that it has helped quite a bit. I’ve even planted a lemon tree last year in hopes to not have to shop as much. Lemon prices seem to have been going up. I still get them at Sprouts at 3 for a dollar but that still seems high to me. Problem is the lemon tree only puts out a handful a year, maybe I need to plant a small grove.

Oh if you want to grab your own lemon squeezer from amazon the one I use right now is OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer

Do you drink lemon water? Have you noticed any benefits?

 

 

Life is Grand Again!

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Just wanted to post a little recap and update on whats going on. Its been 8 weeks now since I started Lexapro for the anxiety (7 weeks for other meds) and I can say that I really havent had an anxiety/panic episode since week two. With one exception, about a week ago for my son’s graduation I did have a mild episode but it was no where near where it was in the past. Was able to go and even though I wanted to bolt from the crowded stands a couple times I used breathing techniques and was able to make it through.

On the stomach front I can say since week 3 I havent had really any issues except one weekend when I kinda deviated from the diet a bit. As far as acid reflux, the past 2-3 weeks I havent had any real breathing issues and only a minor cough once in awhile. I think I will stop taking the Priolsec here after this current batch is gone.

Also stopped the statins a couple weeks ago and will get a cholesterol  test done next week from Henry’s. Dont know how accurate those are but we’ll see, will see doctor in another month or so for testing there.

Diet has changed to mainly a plant based diet. Don’t like to say vegan cause I still do chicken 2-3 times a week, still have yogurt once in awhile and still haven’t kicked cheese (although only doing feta which is supposed to be better). Cooking most of my meals from whole foods and even the frozen type are scrutinized for fat and cholesterol content. Added a probiotic to the diet in the morning and even do a digestive enzyme supplement before lunch and dinner.

Speaking of supplements I have been doing a D3 and CoQ10 in the morning and in the evening B complex and B12. Also doing 1200mg Fish oil morning and evening.

One of the biggest changes has been slowing down the workload and making more time for myself. This has also included make to for being active and exercise. Started off about 6 weeks ago walking each evening 5-6 times a week up to 4 miles. This has been on relatively flat course with a couple hills and at a brisk pace to get heart rate about 110-120. This past week I’ve added in Cowles mountain 🙂 which is about 3 miles round trip and gets my heart rate up to 140 going up it. Also added weights twice a week starting last week.

All this together has made me feeling pretty damn good, with more energy most of the time. Hope to be off all the meds soon and continue the rest, get my weight up a bit and hang around till I’m at least 100!

I will continue to update this blog with tips, recipes and healthy ideas I find in my research to stay healthy myself. Hope you will follow and give me your input and stories as well.

Recipe: Vegan Alfredo Spinach Pasta

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Vegan Alfredo Spinach Pasta

Vegan Alfredo Spinach Pasta

Found this recipe trying to find something for dinner last night. I love Alfredo sauce so thought I’d give it a try. I’ll tell you right off the bat, it taste nothing like traditional Alfredo. That being said it was very good! I love pasta and sauces an since I cant do the tomato based (at least not often) this was a nice change and much lower in all the nasty stuff.

1 “large pot of pasta” (I used organic spiral semolina made from brown rice)
1/2 bag frozen spinach (about 3 cups frozen/packed or 5 fresh baby spinach, chopped)

“Vegan Alfredo” Sauce:
1/3 cup reserved pasta water (from drained pasta)
3-4 Tbsp Vegenaise (vegan mayo-like condiment)
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt/pepper to taste
1 Can of White Beans

optional:
-red pepper flakes (garnish)
-vegan Parmesan cheese on top
-spritz of fresh lemon juice mixed in – adds a bright zesty accent

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta. Drain. (Reserve 1/3 cup of the starchy hot pasta water).

2. Pour drained pasta back into the warm pot you cooked it in. Fold in all the “Alfredo Sauce” ingredients. Since the pasta is still warm, they should all melt together quite nicely.

3. Next, fold in your spinach. You should thaw frozen spinach slightly before folding in. Fresh baby spinach will wilt nicely into the warm pasta.

4. Serve warm or store in fridge overnight! Garnish with red pepper flakes on top.

Original recipe is from Healthy Happy Life. I removed cumin powder (mainly cause I didn’t have any) and added the can of white beans for some protein. I also only did 1 Tbsp of garlic, 2 just seemed like to much. So good I just had left overs for lunch 🙂

Rice and beans Recipe

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E2 Beans and Rice

E2 Beans and Rice

Sounds kinda bland but trust me this is delicious. This recipe originally came from the E2 diet (you can get the book over there on the right) and I modified it a little as shown below. Did this mainly because of acid reflux, so removed the tomatoes and salsa but did keep the chili powder. Also added mushrooms to make up for the removal, and I just like mushrooms 🙂

I also removed the Bragg liquid aminos. I figured the recipe puts it in there for added protein as well as taste, but from some of the things I have read about it I’m not sure I want to try it. Besides it still adds a lot of sodium to the mixture.

Brown Rice – 16 ounces
black beans – 16 ounces
vegetable stock – 32 ounces
chili powder (red) – 1 teaspoon
green onions – 2 ounces
corn (fresh, frozen, or canned) – 16 ounces
bell pepper (red, yellow, or green) – 20 ounces
Mushrooms – 1-1/2 cups
avocado – 8 ounces

DIRECTIONS
Sauté rice in large skillet on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until rice begins to brownand pop. Add vegetable stock. Reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered for another 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and only a few bubbles of water show between the grains of rice. Turn off heat, cover, and let rice sit on warm stove for 10 minutes.

Heat the beans with water or stock, and chili powder.

Place the chopped vegetables in individual bowls. You can either mix them in with the rice and simmer for a bit or serve them fresh on top of the rice

Same with beans, either mix in or ladle on top of rice

Add avocado on top of the beans. ( I even added a little Feta Cheese to top as well)

E2 Beans and Rice

E2 Beans and Rice leftovers!

Whats great is that it makes quite a bit so the next day I had left overs for lunch, with out the avocado though. For lunch I took a piece of whole wheat tortilla, warmed up, and spread Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on it then scooped a generous amount of the beans and rice for a nice burrito

Wonderful Cholesterol

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Yep one of the other items found at last doctors appointment was High Cholesterol. I had this many years ago as well and back then was put on Lipitor for a while but then taken off I think because of some liver tests. This time around my total was 239, HDL 45, LDL 173. Didnt get the Triglycerides results (make sure I get those next time).

According to WebMD your levels should fall in these ranges

Total CholesterolCategory
Less than 200Desirable
200 – 239Borderline High
240 and aboveHigh
LDL CholesterolLDL-Cholesterol Category
Less than 100Optimal
100 – 129Near optimal/above optimal
130 – 159Borderline high
160 – 189High
190 and aboveVery high
HDL CholesterolHDL-Cholesterol Category
60 and aboveHigh; Optimal; helps to lower risk of heart disease
Less than 40 in men and less than 50 in womenLow; considered a risk factor for heart disease

Of course the doctor put me on Statins, Simvastatin. Otherwise known as Zocor. I went ahead and went along with it. As mentioned in previous posts earlier on I was getting the shortness of breath in the morning and muscle weakness and I was thinking it was residual anxiety (this was the second week on lexapro) and then last week in the evening’s I was have a big spike in this where it was hard to breath as well as bad headaches. Again I have been doing lots of reading on these conditions and the meds I was taking and saw that with this statin muscle weakness (and pain) as well as headaches was a side effect, with the shortness of breath sometimes. Also found out long term effects were not desirable either. Those headaches and breathless spikes were about an hour after takeing the statin as well (also toke the ppi at same time but its a process of elimination) So sunday night was my last one and Im going to try and lower the numbers naturally through diet, exercise and if needed some supplements. Only been a couple days but since have not had the evening spikes or headaches. Still have the morning shortness a little but have read that it can take 3-4 days for the statin to completely get out of your system, and it could be something else but still want to be off this.

I will go more into how Im doing it in other posts but the big change is going to be diet, going mainly plant based and quickening the pace to all whole foods. My biggest cure ball will be giving up (or at least severely decreasing) cheese. I love cheese 🙂

Doing alot of reading I’ve decided my goals are to get my total number below 150 and my LDL below 80, would also like to see my HDL above 60. I go into the doctors today but since I had the last test with them 4 weeks ago I may not get another, but I will find a place where I can go in myself and get tested once a month and will let you know my progress. With today’s diets I would get tested at least once a year, you are never to young for high cholesterol. When I had my first high results (higher then now) I was 35. There are now symptoms of high cholesterol and with out testing you’ll never know until your first heart attack, and that could be to late.

Supplements: Vitamin B for Anxiety and Reflux

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The B complex vitamins are extremely beneficial for a number of conditions and may be necessary in extra amounts at certain times in a persons life. Many individuals suffer from anxiety and stress at one time or another and research has found that the B complex vitamin can be advantageous in helping alleviate the symptoms. When your body is going through stress it depletes stores of B vitamins. The B vitamins are necessary to help maintain the proper functioning of the nervous system. Deficiencies in Vitamin B can lead to anxiety, irritability, restlessness, fatigue, etc. There is more than one kind of Vitamin B. It is best to take all eleven of the B vitamins together in a B-complex supplement since they tend to work together. Generally available in a 50 or 100 complex of all eleven B vitamins which can be taken once a day (or twice during high stress times).

For those that suffer Reflux and are on a PPI medication this supplement can be extra important. With PPI’s reducing the acid in the stomach this can also hinder the absorption of nutrients from your foods, especially B12. This is also true if you just take antacids for any length of time

Vitamin B may also help improve your reflux. According to a study in the October 2006 “Journal of Pineal Research,” supplementing your diet with vitamin B-12 may aid in the regression of GERD symptoms, a more severe form of acid reflux. Also that Folic acid, a B vitamin, and vitamin B-6 are two other vitamins that may aid in reducing symptoms of acid reflux. The same study found that GERD symptoms were relieved upon supplementing the diet with these vitamins. Also common sense tells you when you are stressed and anxious this churns up your stomach acids and can increase reflux symptoms.

Currently I am taking a B complex 50 which I may be going to a 100 and adding a separate B12. You can also get a Stress B Complex which adds Vitamin C to the mix.

As always its best to talk to your doctor if unsure.