It’s Been Two Years. And I’ve Done A Lot. The Naturopath: Revisited.

Last week I went back to see my amazing naturopath, Christine Matheson after not seeing her for more than two years.

Following my food sensitivity testing appointment in March 2009, she went on mat leave and I was left to fend for myself through the 3 month elimination diet that followed. She gave me great guidance to take with me as I embarked on the challenge and recommended another naturopath should I need further assistance. She returned from mat leave in the fall and as a result of my new job I’m back to having benefits which I am fully taking advantage of! A lot has changed since March 2009 and last week I got to recount the tale of my last 2 years to her:

Diet

This was obviously a huge change over the last 2 years. Within two weeks of eliminating a lot of foods from my diet, I started to feel better than I had in more than a year and half. I started off by cutting out the foods on my sensitivity testing list for 3 months. Following the three month period I brought many of the foods back in (minus gluten, dairy and eggs) and then that summer decided to go vegan.  Eliminating all animal products was something that we had talked about prior to the elimination diet, but it was absolutely my decision in the end. My diet has been pretty consistent since then and I feel amazing eating the way that I do. We discussed some items for tweaking and revitalized my supplement protocol to ensure that I continue feeling the best I can.

Work

Quitting my job and going to nutrition school was inspired greatly by my journey to healing. 2010 was such an amazing year and I’m so happy that I followed my heart. I’m still currently half a nutritionist and back in the office world, but I know that my “time off” was much needed. In the last 2 years I’ve been working to achieve a balance of things that make me happy with things that allow me to live the best life possible. I like where I’m sitting right now and am looking forward to the coming months. We talked about work/life balance and some strategies/resources to keep me happy and stable throughout the insanity of work/WW/school/performing that can sometimes be is my life.

Relationship

This was a big one since when Christine left, I was still engaged. Talking about the break up was actually more painful than I expected. Joey was a big part of my life for a long time and he was with me through a lot of change. While really sad, our break up was the right thing for both of us. That being said, the actual break up left me broken in more ways than I realized initially; There were some things that happened towards the end that really messed with my head and I’m still working to put the pieces back together. Much of it is related to body image, my weight and my general self esteem, which have been things I’ve struggled with over the last year. Talking this through with Christine really highlighted how much of a sensitive topic this still is for me. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m going there and feeling better every day.

The Pill

Going off the pill was another thing that we had wanted to tackle post-elimination diet and after some deliberation I went off the dreaded pill in the spring of 2009. If you’d like some great info on why not to be on the pill you can check out some informative posts on Meghan’s blog. There are numerous reasons why I should have gone off the pill but the main one was this: it was making me crazy. My hormones were so manic and all over the place that it was incredibly detrimental to my emotional health and well being. With some assistance from the brilliant ladies at Red Tent Sisters, I started following the Justisse method and felt in tune with my body and. Much. Less. Crazy.

There were lots of other details along the way but those were some of the big things we discussed in our time together. In some ways it was therapeutic and in others kind of painful, but overall I felt really positive when I left.

Christine gave me a lot of credit for all the changes that I had made. Sometimes I take for granted that this is just the way that I live my life. I forget that it’s not easy to have made all of these changes and live the way that I do, because it’s just second nature to me now. I’m so much healthier than I was 2 years ago and I have so much to be thankful for. She assured me that I looked fantastic and had so much to be proud of. It was wonderful to hear this from someone outside my immediate circle and the small suggestions and tweaks I’m going to make as a result of our visit are going to make things that much better.

• Back to supplements including some anti-inflammatory agents and a probiotic
• Suggestions for getting sugar back out of my life (due to the candida, I cut sugar out of my life during the elimination diet and slowly over the last two years it has creeped back in. It needs to go again!!)
• Recommendations of a visit with the clinic’s osteopath, a full physical with a naturopathic doctor and referral to a psychologist

I’m so excited to be seeing my naturopath again. She is fantastic at what she does and I’m really looking forward to stepping up my game and taking things to the next level with her guidance. I know that the changes are up to me, and I’m ready for them! I’ve come a long way on this journey and believe that this is just the next step. Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come and it was very grounding to reflect upon transformation that I’ve made. Because the universe felt I needed an extra little bit of perspective last week, I received the following email from a reader on the same day I went to the naturopath:

Subject line: Read your blog by accident

and just wanted to say you are a very inspiring woman...

i am a cancer survivor and have been waiting for the opportunity to start my journey back to health

i was looking for a copy of the a lulu lemon bag for my friend and when I found one and somehow

when i pulled it up it was on your blog.  reading about your health regime was very inspirational. keep up the good work!

betty

Betty – you honestly made my day and put everything into perspective for me. Thank you

[source]

For more information about Christine and her awesomeness, you can check out her website. You can also check out the website for Mahaya Forest Hill where she is currently practicing. Everyone was incredibly sweet and they offer a variety of services including osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathy and acupuncture.

What changes have you made over the last couple of years? How does it feel to revisit the changes you’ve made and see how far you’ve come? How do you keep those changes in perspective?

Goodbye Stress, Pass the Sparklers

I had a nice weekend of festive-related events:

• Received a big shipment from Amazon, rounding out my Christmas shopping
• Ushered for (and watched) the musical version of It’s a Wonderful Life
• Baked cupcakes and decorated them with 25 kids at our office’s kids holiday party

Even with all of this is done now, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed rather than excited for Christmas. The next few weeks are going to be incredibly busy for me and I need to find some ways to deal with my stress.

“But Ashley, didn’t you just quit your job so you would be doing what you loved and leave this stress behind?” Ultimately yes, but there are a number of things along the way before I get to calmer waters.

They have yet to hire a replacement at my office, which means I haven’t been able to start training someone. As a result, the beginning of January is going to be a ridiculously busy time for me. In that first week I will be starting rehearsals for my new show, starting school, leading 6 Weight Watchers meetings of my own and filling in at another PLUS training the new person. I thrive on being busy, but at the moment I feel like I’ve bitten off a little more than I can chew.

Let’s add to that my upcoming trip to Kirkland Lake to visit Joey’s family and friends smack dab in the middle of my transition. I have not been stressed about going up there for past holidays and visits, but this will be my first time up there since going gluten free and vegan. The last time I was up there was last Christmas and while I had made some changes in my diet, I made all the big changes a few months later. Kirkland Lake is a small mining town of 8,000 people. Considering that there’s only a handful of restaurants in town, I doubt I’m going to have a ton of choices when I go out, which means that I’m going to need to eat a lot of things at home. Joey’s mom is a wonderful cook, but very old school in her methods – lots of dairy, meat, and other things I don’t eat.

I see myself eating a lot of salad.

I plan to bring some things with me (cereal, almond milk, snacks, steamer basket etc.) and take a trip to the grocery store to stock up on fruits and veggies,  but it’s just not going to be the same as being at home and it feels a little daunting right now.

I also think that I’m just ready for my new life to start. When I first gave my notice at work, I felt a huge sense of relief. Waiting 2 months to go to school seemed much more feasible than waiting an entire year (until September 2010) The problem is that I feel like I’ve already checked out. My patience is wearing thin and it’s showing. I thought the the stress of my role would go away when I delegated some of my duties, but it’s still fairly high pressure and some of the people around me haven’t been on their best behaviour. Being in an open concept office makes this challenging and there have been a few days where I’ve just felt like walking out and/or crying.

So how am I coping?

I’m doing my best to take it day by day and stay positive. Negativity has gotten me nowhere in life and I truly believe in the power of positive thinking and words. January is still 3 weeks away, and projecting how stressed I’m going to be is not going to make anything better. I’ve got a lot of things to enjoy over the next few weeks including a vacation, time with friends and family and learning my part in my upcoming show.

I have to say that as a result of writing this blog post I feel a bit better and less anxious than I felt earlier. I’m also getting back into journaling. I’m reading Julia Cameron’s Artists Way 10th Anniversary Editionand am working up to writing my morning pages. Journaling is a wonderful way to release your emotions and thoughts in a constructive way. I’m also journaling something else: my food intake. I’m working on filling up my tracker each and every day because it’s really easy to make crummy food choices when I’m stressed out. Last but not least, I’ve been doing lots of activity and filling up my December Activity chart. Not only does activity make me feel great, but it also helps me to take my mind off things!

Heather sent me a great “message from the universe” last week,

Life isn't supposed to be all 'cakewalk' and no 'baking'.  Especially not for those who like to experiment, take risks, and be surprised.
Please pass the sparklers,
The Universe

So very, very true.

How are you coping with the stress of this season? What do you do to manage your stress? Any tips for me as I wait for my new beginnings?

Healing the Best (And Only) Ways I Know How

This is the third instalment of Crohn’s Week. For a continuous version of the story please check out parts 1 and 2.

I now knew that I had Crohn’s Disease. With a name for the pain I had been feeling, I knew I could do something about it.

I had already started feeling less tired as a result of the B12 and iron supplements I was taking to combat my anemia. For such a long time I had taken for granted that sometimes I felt tired and/or dizzy and always assumed that it was because I was so busy. This was not the case at all. The iron and B12 gave me more energy and the dizzy spells went away. Isn’t it amazing how a small imbalance in our body can truly affect our day to day lives?

The medications Dr. A had recommended had helped a little bit, but I was still going to the washroom fairly frequently, with a lot of urgency, and there was still blood and pain. While I was following his advice of a “healthy, well-balanced diet” and taking my pills like a good girl, I knew there had to be more to it than that. I didn’t want to put a band-aid over my problems and work towards going on bigger, more powerful medications and potentially surgeries (as I liked my colon on the inside), so I followed my gut. After a little Nancy Drew-like stealth, I made an appointment with a naturopath that one of my WW members had recommended. This decision changed my life.

I liked Dr. M from the first day I met her. She was kind, caring and down to earth. Even from my very first day she gave me some small suggestions to implement in working towards healing. I compiled an extensive questionnaire and food dairy for her and on our second visit she walked me through her recommendations including:

• Increase intake of warm, cooked foods to enhance digestive healing
• Increase foods naturally rich in iron & b12
• Take a probiotic (HMF Forte by Genestra) as well as other supplements and teas
• Physical therapies including the use of castor oil packs and abdominal massage
• Decrease dairy, sugar & caffeine
• Food sensitivity testing

I started the supplements slowly, followed her other recommendations and made the decision to do food sensitivity testing. On one of the worksheets she gave me there is a quote from Hippocrates that reads:

“Let food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food”

I say that Dr. M changed my life, because with her guidance I drastically changed my eating habits and then I started to feel like me again.
My bowel movements calmed down.
The runs to the washroom slowed down (and I no longer had to get off busy subway cars to use the disgusting washroom in the station for fear I wouldn’t make it to work “safely”)
My stomach cramps diminished
and I stopped seeing blood on the tissue after I wiped
It was amazing.

These changes did not happen overnight, nor did I magically wake up one day feeling better. It took a lot of work, but the rewards were so great that it was absolutely worth it. I came off the Flagyl because after I started taking it I began getting terrible night sweats. Dr. A was concerned that I was running fevers in the middle of the night (which is a sign of inflammation) and once I stopped taking the antibiotic the night sweats disappeared.

Following my initial visits with Dr. M, I went gluten & dairy free in March and over the summer went vegan. I feel fantastic. I’ve had a couple instances of pain and 1-ish flare up (which I blame the brown rice protein powder for entirely), but otherwise it has been clear sailing. Eating this way is second nature to me now and it really comes down to feeling good vs. feeling bad. I like feeling good, so I will continue on this path I have formed for myself.

While food and supplements were a giant component in my healing, there were other pieces in the puzzle as well. Joey was a constant rock for me throughout everything that happened. November 11 is my mom’s birthday and is traditionally a challenging day for me. Last year on November 11, it had been about a week since I had been diagnosed. I was feeling crappy physically and emotionally in the morning, but had to get to work because I had a busy day ahead of me. I called him later that morning nearly in tears because I was in a lot of pain and I was feeling pretty sad and missing mom. Around lunchtime the receptionist called me to say that a package had been dropped off for me:

with this card

“I’m here for you always. Love, Joey xoxo” 

It was such a thoughtful gesture that was amplified by the unconditional love and support he gave me all along. I have been so blessed to have him in my life. My friends and family also have played huge roles in my healing. Everyone was so caring and kind throughout my diagnosis and supported me in all of my decisions along the way. These people have helped me to stay strong, even in moments when I did not feel that way and I thank my lucky stars for them each and every day.

Tomorrow I’m going to talk about the last element in my healing, which has been achieving balance in my life. I’m going to share the news I was alluding to last week, tell you how this disease has changed my life for the better and explain why I’m so thrilled for January.

I is for Ice Cream and J is for Junk Food and Other Things I Thought I Would Miss

Months ago when I first cut out dairy, gluten and a lot of other things, I felt like I was going to be “missing out”. I definitely maintained a positive outlook on all of the changes and knew that I was working to heal my body. but it was still sad to say goodbye to some things that were “staples” in my fridge and pantry. I put staples in quotes because I’ve come to realize that they were only staples because I made it that way.

As a result of changing the foods I eat regularly, I’ve cut out a lot of the processed food in my life. I talked about this paradigm shift very soon after I altered my eating habits and realized that I wasn’t alone. As a result of cutting out gluten, dairy (and more recently, meat) I started to place much more emphasis on wholesome, nutritious foods from the earth. Gone were the diet pops, 100 calorie packs, bagels, cheese and other stuff that I was focusing on heavily. As I’ve pointed out before, my eating is constantly a work in progress and I work to do what is best for me in this moment. When talking to people who are in the beginning of their journeys with Weight Watchers, I often say that it’s really about awareness – awareness of how you’re treating your body by what and how much you’re eating and your physical activity as well as managing your thoughts and feelings.

Awareness has been key for me in this journey and I know it will continue to be a recurring theme. Every day I am learning more and more about food and nutrition collectively, as well as what works and doesn’t work for me. After people ask me “what do you eat?” and I give them the answer, they usually follow up with something like “Oh, I could never eat that way, I like _______ too much”. I take the perspective of “would eating ______ make me feel better or worse?” In the case of items containing gluten, dairy or other things that don’t agree with me, eating ______ would probably make me feel bad so I avoid it. I’ll take feeling good any day!

With all of that being said, some people still look at the way I eat as something foreign and think I’m depriving myself. Last week on my fruit and veggie post, I received the following comment via facebook: I'm glad u like fruit and veggies, but eat a little cake! Today may not be your b-day, but hey what the hell. u can live, a girl must have her cake and eat it too. Smile and stop over thinkin' everything. Relax, enjoy life and be free of what u should weigh, eat, and look like...........you’re great! My response was I live the best life I know how - fruits, veggies and cake included! I definitely still have treats, but they’re just different than they used to be.

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And that is fine by me. I love enjoying fresh juice, gluten free baked goods, smoothies, dairy-free ice cream, dark chocolate, raw treats, pudding and tea. All gluten, dairy free and vegan, and absolutely delightful.

I’ve really embraced my gluten free, dairy free, meat free living as a lifestyle rather than a diet (just like I did with Weight Watchers) and I really believe that I’m eating better now (both nutritionally and enjoyment-wise) than ever before. I was tweeting last week about how I was making sounds during dinner, something that I can’t say that I did a whole lot before. Missing out? I think not.
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In other news, the poster for Annie is out and tickets are now on sale!

Doesn’t it look awesome? Tickets are available at www.ticketweb.ca, just search “T3 Productions”. No I’m not playing Annie (I’m a wee bit too old…),but rather I’ll be in the role of Grace Farrell, Mr. Warbucks’ secretary. Tickets are selling fast, so if you’re going to be in Toronto between November 20 and 28 be sure to buy them ASAP!

The new and improved, healthier Ashley

At the beginning of March I changed the way I was eating as a result of some food sensitivity testing that I had done with my naturopath. At the time, it seemed like a daunting challenge, but I wanted to see what I could do with food to help my body.

I have learned that there is life after gluten, dairy and the other 20 or so foods I cut out. I had to rethink my meals and the choices that I was making, but I believe that I started eating healthier as a result. There are tonnes of resources out there for people with food issues and I loved reading and learning and embracing the options.

I found a lot of great recipes in vegan cookbooks and have made a ton of amazing recipes. My favourites include Eat Drink & Be Vegan, Veganomican, Get it Ripe and Refresh, among others. While I haven't cut out meat entirely, I found that many vegan cookbooks were cognizant of other food issues and labelled recipes as gluten/wheat free as well as provided ideas for substitutions.

The blog world has also been an amazing resource to me. Not only has it provided me with recipe and meal ideas, information on new products, but it has also provided me with a sense of community. There are so many amazing bloggers who are passionate about food and they have really helped me to stay positive! I especially want to say thank you to Coconut Girl, Polly,and Meghan as they have continued to inspire and motivate me as well as answer my questions and be great friends and supporters of my journey.

I also want to say a big thank you to Joey. Joey and I met the first week I joined Weight Watchers, and he has always been supportive of me changing the way I eat. I never have to worry about cooking a separate meal for Joey because he likes pretty much everything! He always thanks me for the meals I cook and the lunches I pack and has often told me how proud he is of me for the changes that I've made, and for that I am truly grateful.

I learned to focus on the foods that I could eat, rather than the ones that I couldn't. In the beginning I picked up some gluten free bread, but it really wasn't the same. Soy cheese or yogurt weren't like my usual standbys, so I found new foods to enjoy instead. Almond milk has become one of my refrigerator staples and I now don't know how I could do without it! I have distanced myself from a lot of more processed foods and tend to stick with fruits and veggies, lean sources of protein, nuts, healthy oils and gluten free grains. I'm really happy that I signed up for Meghan's cooking classes because it introduced me to a ton of new recipes that were all Ashley-friendly!

I have also learned that I need to do what is best for me and that there is no one-size-fits-all option out there. In the last couple weeks I became more lenient with myself and my food choices. With the candida, I was supposed to be cutting out all sugar and yeast, but I started to realize that with everything else I had cut out that total-sugar free living was just unrealistic for me. I didn't want to run out and have a Snickers bar, rather I just wanted to stop feeling guilty for eating a banana. So I brought all fruits back in over the last couple weeks and I couldn't be happier. I'm continuing to stay away from refined sugar because it makes me feel so much better and has eased some of my symptoms (as well as reduced my period cramps to almost nothing - true story!)

I have also made the decision to continue eating meat once in awhile. For a little while, I was thinking that high-raw vegan was going to be the answer in order for me to feel well. But as I wrote in my post about Sleeping Naked is Green, I've come to realize that my body doesn't mind a little bit of meat once in awhile. I usually only have it once, maybe twice a week and that works for me. I realized that getting caught up with what other people were doing wasn't going to work and instead I worked to discover what was going to be the best for me.

I have also found a place for the Points-counting Weight Watcher in me! The Momentum plan places a lot of emphasis on the Filling Foods and I've found that many of the Filling Foods are Ashley-friendly. I'm still counting Points, but I'm just spending them differently than I used to and I'm still successfully maintaining my weight - yay!

After being diagnosed with Crohn's I had been put on 2 medications: an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic. That seemed to work fairly well and a lot of my symptoms improved. After awhile my doctor decided to take me off the antibiotic because I had been experiencing terrible night sweats (which could have been a sign of fever, which could have been a sign of inflammation) When I came off the antibiotic I was back in pain on a daily basis and that was pretty disheartening. I didn't want to go back on the antibiotic and I also didn't want to have to resort to the next level of medication (my doctor had mentioned Remicade as a next step if things didn't improve) Since changing my eating, I feel incredible. My tummy doesn't hurt. It no longer hurts when I go to the washroom. My hair and my skin are thriving. I don't feel bloated, gross or lethargic. My body is quite happy with what is going in and as a result I am feeling 100 times better.

Those good feelings have motivated me to stick with this new eating regime over the last three months and has encouraged me to continue many of the changes that I've made. Gluten and dairy are out for good and that's okay with me. As for the other things on the list, I've been experimenting and trying to bring in a new food every week. So far quinoa, tomatoes and mung beans are all okay - hooray!! I had some pineapple on the weekend and I found it a little too intense for me so I think I'll stay away from that.

It's so amazing to feel good and healthier as a result of food and not more medication. I love feeling in tune with my body and look forward to these good feelings in the days and weeks to come!

Thoughts on a Tuesday

I had some good eats last week...

I didn't post a recap or a menu this weekend because I felt like I was falling into a rut with my blog. I want to keep things interesting for you guys as readers, as well as me as the writer! 

Earlier this week I was feeling a bit down and out. I was feeling tired and frustrated with this elimination diet, feeling angry with myself for some of the choices I had been making and feeling crummy about my body as a result. 

I've got four weeks left of hardcore elimination diet and I'm going to make them count. I started a new notebook to use as my tracker two weeks ago and I've been tracking diligently even if I've been over my Points. I'm making better choices and trying to snack less (especially at night!) And to make sure I feel better about my body I've been doing something about it, rather than wallowing in my bad body feelings with snacks. On Sunday I went to a dance class. Last night Joey and I went for a run and tonight I did another dance class. I've also done quite a bit of walking. I'm feeling a lot more positive and in control of the situation. 

I know I can make it through these last four weeks of my elimination diet and I'm looking forward to bringing things back. I'm not even missing the big things like gluten or dairy - it's things like tomatoes and fruit. I think the gluten and dairy are out for good and that's okay with me. I've been feeling really great physically as a result of the elimination diet and that is going to continue to motivate me. 

Now for some of this week's food...

Last night we had gluten free pasta with roasted garlic & red peppers with kale & arugula pesto. I think I like the basil pesto better and Joey was missing the Parmesan cheese from our old store bought pesto brand. 

Tonight I had a modified version of the asparagus stir fry I enjoyed a couple of weeks ago, with a bit of rice and beet salad. It was very yummy! I'm still not sure how I feel about beets, but I'm happy I gave them a go. 

I'm looking forward to enjoying more activity this week and some more yummy food. I'm going to keep my chin up and keep a positive attitude because I know I am capable of making the changes that I'm looking for. 

O-tay!

Oh Buckwheat.

I've been curious about buckwheat for awhile and Chocolate Covered Katie's New Food Challenge gave me the extra motivation to give it a go! It's a little bit confusing, but buckwheat is actually a gluten free fruit seed, related to rhubarb and sorrel. Buckwheat has a great nutritional profile - studies have shown that a diet that includes buckwheat can lower your risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure, it can assist in controlling your blood sugar, and is a great source of magnesium and dietary fiber. 

I've been reading Jae Steele's Get It Ripe (review coming soon!) and was intrigued by the blueberry buckwheat muffins. I haven't done a lot of gluten-free baking up to this point as I've just been figuring out what I can and can't eat. The muffins looked easy and yummy so I decided to give them a whirl. 

They turned out really well! The recipe was really easy and I liked that it didn't contain any refined sugar (although I did substitute agave nectar for the maple syrup) The muffins were light and airy - far less dense than some gluten free baked goods that I've tried in the past. The buckwheat had a nutty grain-like flavor and I really liked it!! The blueberries burst in your mouth and the agave added just a hint of sweetness. These will be perfect for snacks or alongside a smoothie or tea misto for an on-the-go breakfast. They also turned out to be very low in Points. I'm going to try making some buckwheat cereal very soon. 

I'm really happy that I tried this food and I look forward to incorporating it into my food rotation in the weeks to come!

Have you tried any new foods lately?

Birthday Meal Recap - Week of April 5

There was a lot of dining out this week! I only cooked a couple of times but I had some amazing meals with some wonderful company!

Pork chops with asparagus and spiced mashed sweet potatoes (Veganomican)

This was our usual Sunday supper. I ♥ asparagus! I really liked the mashed sweet potatoes, but Joey said they were a little too much like pumpkin pie and he was looking for something a more savory.

Dinner at Avli with Charis
I am a big fan of Greek food but I had never been to this particular restaurant. It was delightful! We decided to share a bunch of appetizers. We started off with the hummus and the skordalia (creamy potatoes and garlic).

Since I couldn't have the pita, the server brought me over some cucumbers for dipping. I particularly enjoyed the skordalia! It was very creamy and had a great garlic flavor. We chose a few selections from the vegetarian menu for our mains: grilled leek and sweet pepper and lentils with cheese and walnuts.
They were kind enough to agree to put cheese on half so I could have the half without cheese. Both of these dishes were fantastic. The leeks were very tender and the lentils were lovely! I also had a chicken souvlaki stick (not pictured) and dipped it in more of the skordalia. It was a great meal and I will definitely be going there again.

Cauliflower & Tofu Curry (Best Eats)

I didn't love this and I didn't hate it. Both the cauliflower and tofu had a lot of flavor, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if there had been some type of sauce involved. I found everything to be a little bit dry. I think I'll stick to other tofu recipes!

Dinner at Live with Joey
The website describes itself as Toronto's premier ORGANIC RAW FOOD restaurant so I was excited for something new and fantastic. Raw food has been intriguing me as of late as I've been reading a number of different stories of people who have cured their Crohn's and Colitis with a raw food diet.

In case you're asking yourself what is Raw Food - it is food that has not been heated above115ºF therefore not destroying any enzymes which aid in digestion allowing for maximum nutrition. The more I read about it, the more I consider heading in that direction with my eating - so more on that to come! I chose the soft shell tacos for my main I actually got so excited about them that I dug in even before I had taken a picture!

They consisted of two (dehydrated) corn "tortillas" filled with ground walnut taco filling and guacamole with cashew sour cream on the side. There was also a salsa Verde but I opted for it on the side since it had tomatoes.

It was honestly delicious and had the same flavor and texture as a taco. The cashew sour cream tasted even better than regular sour cream. It was creamy and had an amazing tang. So amazing! The fact that it was room temperature didn't phase me at all as it was just delicious food! Joey chose one of the cooked mains and had the pasta of the day. It was brown rice pasta with a creamy red pepper sauce with veggies. I didn't try it but he said it was really good also! He couldn't get over the cashew sour cream either.

I had a lot of trouble choosing which dessert I wanted! They had a number of options, all which were gluten & dairy free as well as completely raw. I opted for the black forest cake.
Best cake ever. Seriously.

It was made from dates, almonds, cacao, cashews, agave and berries. It had the creaminess of cheesecake and was incredibly decadent. I didn't want it to end!! Joey had a couple of bites and was blown away. Eating raw food that tasted this good really started to sway me and has inspired me to want to go high raw with my diet. To assist with that Joey got me The Complete Book of Raw Food which I've been reading through over the last few days and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes!! (It has also made me want a Vita Mix even more and now I want a dehydrator too!!) I highly recommend Live for vegetarians, vegans, gluten free folks or those just looking for an amazing lunch or dinner.

I have no meals to talk about for Thursday (as anticipated I had cereal for dinner since I was home later than usual) but I had some good eats on Friday! When I was at Live, I picked up some dehydrated cinnamon raisin "bagels" I enjoyed one with some almond butter alongside a small slice of some homemade gluten free zucchini loaf, blueberries and some Bengal Tiger spice tea - yum!
I love days off where I can enjoy breakfast at home and not feel rushed. The bagel was yummy! It was quite chewy, but I really liked the cinnamon raisin flavor.

For dinner Joey and I went to Mocha Mocha. This is one of our favourite restaurants. The food is good, the service is fast and it is well priced. I enjoyed the avocado salad plate. half avocado, mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers & half a boiled egg

Because the avocado was perfectly ripe and creamy, I didn't even need the salad dressing! Joey enjoyed the egg yolk and I felt perfectly full and satisfied after the meal.

Dinner at Vi Vetha with Lindsay, Avra, Melanie, Jaime & Ashley

This is what I had originally planned for my birthday - an evening with the girls! I had never been to this restaurant, but I think I found it on a Celiac website because of it's gluten free option. I chose it over some other pasta/pizza places that had a gluten free option because of it's location, prices and selection - I was not disappointed! It had a lovely atmosphere - dim lighting, cozy tables and lots of candle light. I started with the grilled veggie plate which I split with Avra.


It had a yummy selection of grilled vegetables (including golden beets and white asparagus) with a nice salad. We opted for the goat cheese on the side. For my main I selected the grilled chicken fettuccine. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and was able to give me details about what I could and couldn't eat and even verified my choices when he brought it to the table. Our mains took a little long to arrive but it was worth the wait!

It was delightful! It was a very generous portion and my gluten free noodles were cooked to perfection. I loved the pesto, pine nut and chicken combination! My non-gluten-free friends all enjoyed their meals and we decided that we would definitely return. After dinner some of us went back to my house for some tea and treats. I made some more zucchini loaf and coconut macaroons.

It was a really lovely evening with some of my favourite people!! I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and it was a great end to my birthday week. I have to show you a couple of the gifts that I received. Mel brought me a beautiful notebook, super cute earrings and this mug:
It's the perfect size and I love the colour and design! At the bottom of the cup it says something about a cupcake world but I'm currently drinking tea out of it so I'm unable to quote it. Thanks Melly!

Lindsay went shopping for me with my list of food sensitivities listed on her iphone - how adorable!! She brought me this samurai: He's a vegetable peeler!! Apparently there was a cheese grater that was similar, but after looking at her list realized that I couldn't eat cheese and she didn't want to depress me on my birthday so she opted for this cute little guy - I love him!! Thanks Linz

Birthdays are so lovely. I hope you enjoyed my super long post, but I had to tell you about all the fun I had this week! If you're in Toronto, be sure to check out Live, Avli, Vi Vetha and Mocha Mocha.

Back to Basics

I want to start this post by saying that this is based on my personal experiences and opinions - I'm not trying to judge or bash granola bars or convenience foods, because I have certainly eaten my fair share! This post is a reflection of my recent paradigm shift with my own eating

A few weeks ago I came across this post on Kelly the Kitchen Kop. The post intrigued me and opened up some really interesting dialogue. It also led me to Courtney's blog "Losing It" and we exchanged some really thought provoking emails on this topic.


Since doing WW, my eating habits have changed significantly, but I've definitely made changes to the changes since I've joined - especially in the last few weeks. I posted the following on the 20's board the other day:

...For me, my mentality with eating on WW has really changed since I started. In the beginning I was just happy to count Points and figure out what I could budget each day/week. I would stock up on fun 100 calorie packs and enjoyed eating a variety of WW products (especially the ones I would stockpile when I visited the US) I remember getting really upset at DF after one trip because he commented that I brought back a lot of "junk food". My response was that I wanted to have treats that I could eat. Sweets have always been my weakness, so by choosing the 100 calorie version of something it was my way of justifying that I could have it.

With my diagnosis, visits to the naturopath and the more I read about food and nutrition, I have really changed the way I look at food and the way I plan my meals. Especially now with my elimination diet, I've cut out mostly all processed foods and focus on making wholesome nutritious choices. Because of all my sensitivities I'm no longer able to eat a lot of the things I used to eat, but even if I could again I don't think I would go back to that.

When WW launched the Momentum plan, I really noticed that they were starting to focus more on this concept as well. While they still offer a ton of convenience foods, there is much more focus on the Filling Foods for all members.


I asked the gals for their opinions and thoughts on the topic of WW + Real Food and many of them had some really interesting and insightful things to say. It really proved to me that I'm not alone!


Kim - Now that I'm nearing my weight goal, I find myself focusing more and more on the health aspect of this journey, just as much as the pure weight loss aspect. It's no longer enough for me to be losing weight, or to look skinny...I want to feel healthy, and know that I am making the best choices for my body. I want to feel fit and healthy. Maintaining a healthy weight is certainly a part of that, but so is making the smartest food choices, and exercising regularly.


Similarly, I'm not going to cut down on exercise to speed up weight loss. I would rather lose more slowly while feeling good about my lifestyle. Ditching the granola bars is just one step in this journey, and I don't mean to imply that no one should eat granola bars or convenience foods (and I hope no one takes it the wrong way!). But for me personally, I want to work towards clean and wholesome eating. I'm by no means perfect, but this is the ultimate goal I'm working towards, nutrition-wise.


Another Kim - AMEN! That's EXACTLY what I did when I started, I was heavily dependent on the 100 calorie snacks. Now, I have slowly eliminated them and am much more satisfied with whole foods that I make, regardless of whether they are slightly higher in points value. You hit the nail on the head!


Jess - Yeah it would be great to have everything come pre-packaged in little x calorie packs but personally I don't want to fill myself with whatever is in them and I don't particularly find them all that appetizing or filling.

Another Jess (my favourite youtube star) has been focusing on choosing whole grains, nuts, fruits and healthy oils as much as possible, rather than choosing processed/convenience foods.

Other people commented that they lost less when the relied heavily on 100 calorie packs and convenience foods. Others said that (like me) they had started to make a change after a diagnosis of an illness or disease. It also seemed that many of the Lifetime members who had commented on the post had started to make a similar shift.

In defense of the 100 calorie packs - they can be great for satisfying cravings of sweet or salty things. They are pre-portioned for moderate consumption and can definitely help people survive their cravings without splurging on a billion points. To quote Judith Thompson in Lion in the Streets "We all need treats" - but might it be better to splurge a little bit more on some good quality dark chocolate or a homemade baked good without refined sugar? I realize that everyone is different, but it's definitely something to think about.

If you do find yourself consuming a lot of 1 Point bars and 100 calorie packs, I would just take some time to ensure that you're getting in your Good Health Guidelines and trying to choose Filling Foods as much as possible. We all know that there are a million different ways that one could spend their Points in a day... the possibilities are endless! At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we're getting in the good stuff before the not-so-good stuff most of the time.

It has been really interesting to talk to other people about this topic, especially those doing Weight Watchers. With my recent changes in eating I have so many different things that I'm trying to be cognizant of in my eating and meal planning - food sensitivities, Points - not to mention enjoyment of my food!! I read a ton of food blogs (some of my favourites include: Carrots n Cake, Heather Eats Almond Butter, VeggieGirl, Care to Eat, Chocolate Covered Katie, Eat Live Run, Gluten Free Girl, Kath Eats Real Food - just to name a few) and I really enjoy reading about these writers' passion for good food. Usually they post meals consisting of wholesome, nutritious foods made with amazing produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy or soy, healthy oils and lean proteins - the basis for good nutrition and healthy eating - and indulge on yummy treats that help to keep them satisfied. Amazing.

I said later on in the post on the 20's boards that if you had told me four or five years ago that I would be getting excited about things like broccoli and almond butter, I would have thought you were crazy. Times have certainly changed, but so have my lifestyle, health and weight. Do I miss reaching for a Peanut Butter Bliss bar, 100 calorie pack or just a regular cookie once in a while? Sure. But I know that I'm doing a great thing for my body and I think that that is worth more than all the cases of 1 Point bars in the world.

Confessions of a Shop-a-holic

Yesterday I had the pleasure crossing the border with my dear friend Lori for some shopping in Amherst, New York! We've gone many times before, (usually every three months or so) but this was a special trip because of my food sensitivity results. In the past I've been excited to visit the Weight Watchers Center to pick up some of the products we don't have in Canada as well as shop for a large quantity of snacks at Target and Wegmans, but with my most recent lifestyle change that was not going to be feasible.

I started my day with a bowl of brown rice cereal with almond milk and some beautiful organic berries.

The cereal got soggy sort of quickly, but the berries were bursting with flavor. Sunday was such a beautiful day to do anything, but a wonderful day for a drive! The last time we crossed the border it has been foggy, cloudy and raining so the glorious sunshine was a refreshing change. It was a smooth drive all the way over (Lori's GPS system "Tom" made sure that he got us there) and there was only a short wait at the border crossing. Luckily I had brought along a Pecan Pie larabar to tie me over until lunch. 

We started off the day at Target.

I love that place. Target makes me really happy and I often walk out with a few bags of stuff. I didn't find any clothes this time around but did walk away with some amazing deals on other stuff. Organic Cotton Sheets - $50! New yoga mat -$9! Yoga block & strap - $9! New yoga pants - $21! I got a little bit sad while walking around the grocery aisles. Normally I would be stocking up on cool 100 calorie packs and Fiber One products, but I got over that quickly as soon as I focused on the other wonderful things I had purchased. I reassured myself that I would find lots of great things later on...

Our next stop was the Boulevard Mall.

Most people make that assumption that we go New York to hit up the outlet stores but that is not the case. We've never actually gone to the outlet stores together nor do we feel like we need to. Before we go I often print off a bunch of coupons for the stores in the mall and we're usually pleased by the fresh selection they offer our Canadian eyes!

Since Sunday was my first "official" day of the elimination diet, I had done some research to find a restaurant where I could eat. Lori and I have always had trouble eating in the States because she is a vegetarian and I look for things that are WW-friendly. We've never gone hungry but I wanted to be prepared due to my new way of eating. I searched 'gluten free Buffalo' and came across this site, which directed me to a list of restaurants that had gluten free options. I chose Carrabba's Italian Grill because it also had some vegetarian-friendly options for Lori!

Carraba's has an entire gluten-free menu

I had determined in advance that I would have Chicken Gratella because it seemed to work with my other sensitivities. I started with a salad.

I asked for my dressing to be put on the side (realizing fully that I wouldn't be eating it because it had vinegar and potentially other things that I can't eat) I picked out the tomatoes (can't have) and olives (don't like) and topped it with some of the olive oil with herbs that had been left on the table. When our server let us know that the vegetable of the day was green beans, I realized that I had a problem. I can't eat green beans. So I opted for just mashed potatoes. 

Ummmm... Ashley? Mashed potatoes usually have milk, butter or cream in them

I had been so focused on selecting a gluten free entree that I had forgotten about some of my other sensitivities. My meal arrived with three scoops of cream-laden mashed potatoes and my chicken was coated in black pepper.

Oh dear, I forgot about the pepper.

I tried to scrape most of the pepper off and despite the dairy, I decided to have some of the mashed potatoes. It was day one and it was an educational experience for me. The people at Carraba's were lovely, the food was very good and they were really accommodating to my requests.

Since we were all fueled up, our next stop was TJ Maxx.

For my fellow Canadians - TJ Maxx is kind of like Winners, but usually better! I almost always walk out of there with something fabulous and well-priced! (Last summer - Liz Clairborne boots for $15!!) This time my sights were set on a fantastic Michael Kors handbag.

It was love at first sight. I had seen a bag at Banana Republic a few days before in a similar colour, but had wanted a different style. I tried to find it at the Banana Republic at the Boulevard Mall but they didn't have anything left in that colour, so finding this bag was like fate! The bag was priced at a fraction of what it would retail for in stores and I simply adore the colour. Lori found some great workout gear and a fantastic trunk that she is going to use as a coffee table - I wish I had taken a picture as it's super nice!

With the handbag and trunk stored away, we gleefully started the next part of our journey: food shopping.

We made a quick stop at Feel Rite.

Do you find that all "health food stores" have the same smell?? This place smelled just like the Carrot which smells like Noah's which smells like every other health food store I've ever been in. I found some gluten free cookies that worked alongside my other sensitivities and some Better N Peanut Butter. I found the prices to be similar to what we have in Canada and other than those two items there was nothing that screamed I MUST HAVE THIS.

People laugh when I say that my favourite store that we visit in Amherst is Wegmans but it is honestly great!!

Lori and I signed up for the Shoppers Club because I had read about it online. We always go there when we're in the US, so why not save some money too? We were probably in there for at least an hour. Again, I was a little sad about all the things that I couldn't have but they have a fairly extensive natural section with a dedicated gluten free aisle and I was able to find a lot of fun things that I can have. I got some items I had never seen before but also picked up some items because they were just really good prices compared to what I pay here (Puffins - 2/$5, case of larabars - $20) Here is a picture of all my food purchases!

Two varieties of Enjoy Life  gluten free granola, Pamela's ginger cookies, Better n Peanut Butter, sweet coconut thai chai tea, vegan grated topping, Earth Balance spread, ricemellow fluff, corn tortillas, Wegmans soy chips, 2 jars of Dark Chocolate Dreams, Tofu Shirataki noodles, Peanut Butter Puffins, Envirokidz Gorilla Munch, coconut milk yogurt and a whole lotta larabars. 

Since our Wegmans stop was a little bit long and there had been a number of people crossing the border on our way in, we decided to have dinner before heading home.

Um, what do we eat?

We decided to check out the menu at Applebee's since I recalled seeing that they had a Weight Watchers menu.

They have a number of selections on their menu that are labelled with the WW logo with the number of Points listed (although I just read that there was a lawsuit filed against Applebee's for giving false nutritional information...eek!)

Since I had chosen chicken for lunch I decided to branch out a little bit and select the Steak & Portobellos:

Juicy, flame-grilled 4 oz. sirloin steak topped with sliced, sautéed portobello mushrooms and a savory brown sauce. Paired with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Learning from my earlier experience, I asked for the entree to be served without the mushrooms and brown sauce and asked that the chef not use any black pepper on my medium-well steak.

It arrived looking like this...

which was perfect! (There was a runny substance on the potatoes that I suspected was butter-based, but there wasn't very much and I scraped it off) It tasted great and my body was very happy that I chose steak. 4 oz was the perfect amount for me and was cooked exactly how I liked it. Lori's Veggie Patch Pizza was a little less successful, but only due to the sheer amount of cheese they used. Overall it was a great way to end the day and it was great for me to utilize some of the knowledge I had gained from earlier restaurant experience.

It was a great day of shopping and a fun way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon! I know that things will get easier as I get to know the ins and outs of my sensitivities and learn what I need to look for and ask for. Day one really wasn't so bad and now I'm stocked up with some exciting products to make the next few weeks that much easier!