What we eat can and does play a role in how we experience the symptoms of fibromyalgia and related chronic illnesses. Even if nutrition is not the initiating cause, it is a major contributing factor and can increase and prolong our symptoms. As the film says - food matters! And speaking from personal experience, I can directly attribute the recent improvements in my health to the majors changes I made in my eating habits - eliminating gluten and processed foods, and increasing lean proteins, and fruits and vegetables. In her program The Eat to Beat Fibromyalgia Challenge, Deirdre Rawlings, … [Read more...]
Quinoa Tacos
A good friend of mine asked me recently, "What do you eat?" Since going gluten-free over a year ago, and vegetarian for the past several months, it is a question I am asked frequently. And truthfully, it is a hard question for me to answer. Not because I have not been cooking and eating some pretty amazing food, but because I am a complete free spirit in the kitchen, and I seldom make the same thing twice. For years my husband has urged me to write my recipes down, but it is really hard to write down what totally happens on the fly and is never measured. I have decided to make a concerted … [Read more...]
When Food is Not Medicine
There is some debate among patients of chronic illness whether nutrition is a contributing factor to our illness. I can only speak to my truth on this matter, and for myself it is an emphatic yes. When I think back to the days after both traumas - the first that triggered my fibromyalgia and the second that exacerbated my symptoms - I clearly see that my eating behaviors contributed to my dis-ease. Before the first head trauma I had what I consider healthy eating habits. But as soon as I became couch-ridden, trying to recover my ability to speak coherently, I turned to food as a source of … [Read more...]
Vegetarian Pumpkin Miso Soup with Gluten-Free Grilled Cheese
Fall is the perfect time for comfort food, and if your meal can be comforting and healthy all the better! Since going gluten-free over a year ago, there have been very few sandwiches on my menu, but then I discovered Johann's Bakery. Johann's is a 100% dedicated gluten-free facility in Vista California, where they bake 100% gluten-free breads. If you have ever eaten pre-baked gluten-free breads you understand they are generally disappointing. Not Johann's! Think high quality artisan bread - soft, firm, with a pleasing taste and texture. Delicious! So this was dinner last night. I have … [Read more...]