Blueberry Breakfast Pie (Primal)

This is one of my all-time favorite go-to weekend breakfast items from Fast Paleo--protein, fruit, and it's gluten free...Score!  It was an instant hit in this house, even with a ten year old. 

I have subbed coconut oil for the bacon grease to grease the pan, and used almond milk instead of coconut milk in a pinch.  Both worked out just fine!  Make it this weekend and let me know what you think!

http://fastpaleo.com/recipe/blueberry-breakfast-pie/

Have you heard about THIS?! A FREE online thyroid info panel with all the BEST!

Have you reserved your "seat" for this from Underground Wellness (who, by the way, is AWESOME)?! It's happening in May and I am so excited about this I could burst!  A panel of all the experts to share their knowledge and experience with thyroid sufferers for FREE!  Some of the topics discussed will be: optimal medication, the gluten-autoimmune relationship, how to order thyroid tests from home, losing weight with thyroid disorders, and more.  Meet me back here to discuss!

http://thethyroidsessions.com/registration/

5 Mistakes I Made When Going Gluten-Free

When I first figured out I was gluten intolerant, I was devastated.  I could not fathom my life without gluten, and the more research I did, the more I realized that gluten was in EVERYTHING--soups, sauces, dressings, shampoo, make-up, and even some K-cups and tea bags.  Life as I knew it was over.  I have now been gluten free for over a year, and looking back, I made several mistakes that made my transition into gluten free living harder on myself.  Here are my TOP 5 mistakes I made when making that important, life-changing, life-saving transition.

TOP 5 MISTAKES:

1.  I focused on all the things I COULDN'T eat.
     Immediately, I began a mental list of all the things I would have to miss out on for the rest of my life; birthday cake at parties, crackers and cheese (a favorite snack of mine), most salad dressings.  This mental anguish that I put myself through was overwhelming and depressing.  In retrospect, I should have been less focused on what I couldn't do, and more focused on the positive change I was making for my health.


 
2.  I went to the grocery store and spent a small fortune on every gluten-free item I could get my hands on. 
     While it is nice to have gluten free items when you need them (Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix is a life saver for kids' birthday parties), many of these items contain other fillers that us Hashi's folks (and the average person) doesn't need more of, like high sugar and bad carbs.  Let's face it: there's something about taking out that poisonous little wheat protein that makes everything that we've grown accustomed to eating taste less than appealing.  So how do manufacturers remedy that problem?  By overloading the processed product with other less than desirable ingredients.  So in the beginning, I substituted gluten-y foods for sugar-y foods, and THAT was also a mistake.

3.  I assumed that when I ordered from a "Gluten Free" menu in a restaurant, that the meal I would be getting would really be 100% gluten free. 
     Not so.   The first time I dined out after becoming gluten free, I was thrilled that the restaurant had a special, separate gluten free menu.  I ordered from it, and felt such joy knowing that I would not have to become a never-eat-out-again recluse.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I had ordered a Salmon Caesar salad (this was before my transition to non-dairy, as well), and when it came to the table it was covered in a beautifully pink fillet of salmon, delicious Caesar dressing on bright green lettuce leaves, and...CROUTONS.  And not gluten free croutons, either.  I stared blankly at my ruined salad, and then reminded the server that I had ordered the gluten free version.  He responded with, "oops, yeah.  Do you want me to get you another one?" as if there was another option.  It was right then that I realized that even when a restaurant offers a gluten free menu, it does not mean that they are taking special care to insure that your meal is 100% gluten free.  As a matter of fact, I doubt that these restaurants even have a gluten-free prepping area.  So depending on your sensitivity, you may be subjecting yourself to an unwanted exposure and cross-contamination.  The sad fact is, many people mistake the trendy gluten free diet for the necessary gluten free diet, and do not realize or understand that it is a dire necessity for us to be gluten free, and it is not a choice. 

4.  I thought since I was gluten free, everyone else should be, too.
     The day I decided it was a must that I change my diet, I cleared my pantry and cabinets of every morsel of gluten-containing products.  If I were a bachelorette, that would have been ok.  But not with a husband and a ten year old boy with a love for mac and cheese and Lil Bites.  Although my husband (bless his heart) chose to go gluten free after reading Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly" with me, it was still not fair of me to assume that since I was going to have to eat that way, that everyone else in my house should also.  Now, side note, if you are suffering from Celiac disease or have cross-contamination sensitivities, it may be a very good idea to clear your kitchen (and the rest of your home) of any gluten to be on the safe side. 
 


 5.  And I can't believe I'm even saying this but....I didn't eliminate enough food items sooner.
     Yep, you heard me correctly.  From the beginning, I kept reading on Hashi's forums of all these different foods that you would assume would be gluten free, even though they do not have the friendly GF logo on them, that are actually cross-reactive foods.  Meaning, even though they do not have gluten in them specifically, they cause your body to react to them as though they contained gluten.  Kind of like your body is getting confused as to what is actually gliadin protein and what isn't.  I read these posts for months and months, and actually, over a year, before I finally decided to pay attention.  For over a year after becoming gluten free, I heard of dairy and coffee and many others being problematic for Hashi's sufferers, and yet, I was unwilling to admit to myself that those items may also be posing a problem for me.  After eliminating those items through the Autoimmune Protocol (which I highly recommend everyone commit to in order to find their food intolerances since these are different for everyone), I could not believe the symptoms I was having day after day were actually associated with the foods I was still eating. 

Calorie Countin' Control Freak

Are you one of these?  You know who you are.  You count eeeeevery single calorie...air calories, hot tea calories, half a cracker shared between you and your kid calories?  Don't be ashamed.  I was once one of you, too.  When I first gained my much hated 47 pounds before my Hashi's diagnosis, I was doing EVERYTHING I could to figure out where all this weight was coming from.  I counted calories, sugar, carbs (at one point getting my carbs so low I could barely lift my arms, my less a dumbbell), fat, you name it, I counted it.  If a veered slightly from my calorie counting course, I guilted myself, and subsequently punished myself at the gym with extra spin classes.  And then (drumroll, please) I heard about Paleo from a Hashi's forum I was reading.  Life. Changing.


Here were these people, like, really smart people, advising AGAINST counting calories.  AGAINST steering clear of good fats.  AGAINST being a slave to cardio.  Advising to eat lots of good fats, to take nature walks at leisurely pace, and lift heavy things (which I already loved doing).  Whhaaaaaat?  Completely different than what I had ever done.  I was skeptical.  But, I was more miserable counting those macros than I was skeptical.  So I decided to give it a go.  Best decision ever.  Now, I will say, I still log my macros on MyFitnessPal (find me: RandiDM), but more to keep up with my sugars to balance my blood sugar (diabetes is a biggie in my family) and to make sure I'm getting ENOUGH of all those great things, like Vitamins B, A, C, carbs, and protein.  Since making the mindset switch, I no longer loathe calorie counting (because I don't really).  If I'm eating all whole, natural God-given foods, and not overdoing it on sugar and bad fats, I'll be full and satisfied before I experience a calorie/fat overage.



There is ONE time that I do not watch any of those pesky little macros, and that is when I'm sick (like this week).  My theory on this is simple.  If I'm sick, I'm going to eat and drink whatever makes me get healthier, faster, no matter what the sugar/fat/carb cost.  Now, don't read that as a FREE Bingo space to overindulge in Krispy Kreme donuts and Coca-Cola (can you tell I'm a Southern girl at heart?).  Notice I said things that make me feel healthy again.  While those delicious little pastry wonders once made me feel emotionally satiated, at no point was I ever like, "Gosh, I'm so hungry, let me eat some donuts for lunch" and felt good about my choice.  And I'm pretty sure, knowing what I know now, that my body didn't feel good about it either.  So when I say, I don't limit myself on things that will make me get back to good health, I mean, when the doctor told me today that I was severely dehydrated and needing either an IV or a large Gatorade STAT, I decided to take the Gatorade at 21g of sugar per 12 ounces.  And I've drank two.  And I don't feel guilty.  But I once would have.  And I would have stressed about it, and promised myself that as soon as I could sit my fanny on my Spin bike, I would burn off every single ounce of sugary Gatorade. But now I realize that is sick, also.  When your body needs something, and craves something when you are sick, you shouldn't have to promise to punish yourself later for addressing those needs.  I also ate lots of citrus fruits today, which also probably put me well over my daily sugar intake.  But I needed those vitamins, and that's what my body felt like eating at the time.  The best part is, I'm not worried about it.  And I'm not going to make myself "work it off" later.  I'm going to feed my body what it needs and what I feel like eating, and when this wonderful Georgia pine allergy clears out of here (thank you, Spring), I will be back on the wagon of making sure I'm getting enough of the good things, and not as many of the not-so-good things.  And I'll be back on the Train Train.

Healthy (but not today).  Happy.  Hashi's.

Week 2 AIP

Woohoo, Week 2!  A little cheesy, I know.  But that's how excited I am to be through 14 DAYS of dietary restrictions I NEVER thought I would be able to get through.  So, in Week 1, I posted about the good, bad, and ugly of those first seven days (read more about that here).  This week, I'm posting about...(drumroll, please)...ALL GOOD!  That's right, I have no complaints.  No complaints about missing my best friend, coffee.  No complaints about trying to figure out what I could eat (I was pretty sure there was nothing left on the list).  But I do have to tell you how good Week 2 has been. 
To start, I have lost seven pounds.  And while that may not sound like a lot to most people, to us Hashi's folks, it is a TON.  To put it into perspective for you, I went an entire YEAR without losing a pound.  NOT. ONE. POUND.  It has taken me a solid three years to lose 26 pounds.  And that old cliché about blood, sweat, and tears?  It has been all three of those. 
So needless to say, I was psyched about losing seven pounds in two weeks.  I mean, super psyched.  But that little devil sitting on my shoulder makes me not want to be psyched.  But I'm going to be psyched anyway, because that's just how I am. 
So back to Week 2's details:  I have stuck to the AIP to a T.  No cheating, no swaying, no nothing.  I have walked 3-4 days a week, and lifted heavy things (thank you, Mark Sisson) three other days a week.



I have noticed, since being diagnosed with Hashi's, that I cannot do both in one day.  If I walk a few miles one day, I cannot do a lifting session in that same day.  I'll get through the day feeling fabulous, only to wake up the next day feeling HORRENDOUSLY tired and worthless.  So it is all about balance for me, these days.  I have drank a good deal of water, but not as much as I should have, and that is something I'll work on in Week 3.  The most surprising part for me is the not missing anything!  I thought for sure I would still be dressed in black, mourning the loss of my dear, delicious morning friend.  I'm talking about coffee.  Geesh, get your mind out of the gutter. 

If you've started AIP, or are an AIP expert, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Healthy.  Happy.  Hashi's.