Face itching

I have decided that the face itching does not seem to have anything to do with a food allergy as far as I can tell right now.  I stopped eating nuts for a week and then added them back in and noticed no difference either week.  I think it may just be dry skin and/or stress that triggers it.

Recipe - Beef and Eggplant casserole

Made this for dinner tonight - wanted to see how everyone liked eggplant and needed to use some ground beef we had in the fridge, so this is what I came up with.  We all liked it, everyone had seconds!  :-)

1 eggplant
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves (could use frozen)
2 cups tomato puree
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper

Wash eggplant, remove top with stem and leaves.  Peel and dice.  Brown ground beef, add red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste.  In a 13 x 9 glass baking dish, layer the eggplant and green pepper dices, top with the ground beef mixture, next put a layer of spinach leaves.  Pour tomato puree over top to cover, slice mushrooms on top.  Place uncovered in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Reasons I choose to take Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) in my B-Complex supplement.


Recommended dosage:  500-1,000 mg for therapeutic dose / taking 500 mg


Reasons to take (pcos):  Deficiency in animal studies has been found to lead to sterility, or relative infertility. Helps to degrade excess estrogen.


Reasons to take (endo):  Women with endometriosis are found to have vitamin B complex deficiency during the menstrual cycle. It is not known if it is caused by unhealthy diet or the inability of digestive absorption.  It helps to reduce tension of the nervous system as a resulting of converting carbohydrates to energy which is necessary for the proper functions of the nervous system. Thereby it reduces symptoms of endometriosis in some women such as anxiety, depression, and mood swings.  Vitamin B1 helps to secrete hydrochloric acid in the stomach which is essential for the complete digestion of food particles and decreases the risk of nutrient deficiency causing hormone imbalance in the menstrual cycle.

Reasons to take (thyroid):  B vitamins are essential for energy production, mood, nervous system function and adrenals.


Warnings:  Water-soluble and generally non-toxic.  Overdose symptoms are: hypersensitivity, heart palpitation, agitation, high blood pressure and skin rashes.  This is why it is important to take B vitamins as a balanced complex.


Food Sources:  Germ and bran of wheat, brewer’s yeast, husk of rice, whole grains, peas, lentils, beans, sunflower and sesame seeds, nuts with the skin, peanut butter, liver, kidney, pork, ham, eggs, poultry, seafood.


My conclusions:  Taking a good dose, important to continue.

Vitamin A

The reasons that I take Vitamin A from fish oil.


Recommended dosage - 10,000 IU / Current dose:  10,000 IU


Reasons to take it (pcos):  maintenance of healthy skin and hormone balance, One of the lesser known facts about vitamin A is that it contributes to the development of sperm cells in males and eggs in women.


Reasons to take it (thyroid):  Individuals with low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) have a reduced ability to change beta-carotene into true vitamin A.  Vitamin A-deficient cattle and sheep show degeneration of the area of the pituitary gland where the TSH is synthesized.  Vitamin A intake also influences the thyroid gland in another way. Sufficient vitamin A -- not beta-carotene in this instance -- must be present for the thyroid gland to absorb enough iodine, upon which it depends for proper function.


Reasons to take it (endo):  Women with excessive blood flow during the menstrual cycle caused by endometrial implants or adhesion in the abdomen found to have low levels of vitamin A in there bloodstream. Together used with vitamin E will help to relieve menstrual bleeding and keep hormone balance in the body. Beta carotene is another form of vitamin A that also helps to enhance the immune system and protect against growth of endometriosis.


Warnings:  Symptoms of overdose include:  skin turning orange, nausea, hair loss, enlarged liver and spleen.  Higher than the RDA amount can cause birth defects if taken around conception.


Food Sources:  Animal sources - better for me - liver, milk, eggs
Plant sources - beta carotene - carrot, spinach, kale, cantaloupe, spinach, apricot, papaya, mango, oatmeal, peas, tomatoes, peaches, peppers.


My conclusions:  I am taking a good amount of Vit A from a good source.  Future considerations may be to take a fermented cod liver oil to get the right amount of A and D in a very usable format.

General update

Almost 3 weeks now since starting our new eating plan. It has been very easy and fulfilling to eat this way. I have lost almost 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I have days when I have a bit more energy, but am still fairly tired - though able to accomplish more throughout the day and not noticing the 3pm slump quite as much. I have not had issues with anxiety, difficulty breathing or heart palpitations recently, but am still taking SAM-e. I have not had severe endo pain, though some minor pain (not debilitating) in the past 3 weeks, but I also have not had a normal cycle since Nov 28. :-( I have not had a migraine in a while either, nigglings that I could get one but nothing serious. I have not any trouble with the tonsil stones for the last few weeks, my scalp has much improved, no thyroid pain. I have had itchiness on my face which I am working to figure out if it is an allergy to nuts or yeast growth, either way may need to cut them out of my diet. All in all, some good improvements.

My cycle is puzzling me for sure though. Have not had a menses since Nov 28 and have had 2 sessions of spotting for 2-3 days, now am spotting again. I get moody and achey and tired beforehand but then only spot. Need to figure that out. I have not used the pro cream since the end of December so it's not that. May need to consider another hair analysis and hormone panel soon.

Tom has mentioned that he has not had any heart burn for the last few weeks - hooray! The kids are doing very well on the plan. They are not complaining much, they are looking healthier. Rose said the other day that her lettuce tasted like candy - they were eating big wedges of it plain! Heather's attitude is much better the last few days, I had to stop in the middle of her grammar and tell her how much I liked seeing her smile and having her cooperate, she said that she felt happier - hooray!

That's it for now...

Bowels

Okay, not for the faint-hearted. :-)

Will try not to be too descriptive, but I did want to add this info here. We have noticed changes in our bowels with the change in eating. Tom was the first to notice, and I have had the children marking on a chart when they have bowel movements so that I know if they become constipated. If one skips a day or two, (Heather especially has always been prone), I have them drink some "Smooth Move" herbal tea and that works right away with no discomfort. I have noticed an improvement in frequency and quality myself. If you are interested in what "normal" is... here is a link with info and.... prepare yourself... pics.

The Bristol Stool Form Scale

"The Bristol Stool Scale or Bristol Stool Chart is a medical aid designed to classify the form of human feces into seven groups. It was developed by Heaton and Lewis at the University of Bristol and was first published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology in 1997. The form of the stool depends on the time it spends in the colon."

Changes in supplements

Here are the recent changes to my supplements:

Vitamin C - ran out of current bottle, haven't refilled

Cod Liver Oil - haven't refilled, am taking flax and EPO but should get a fish oil too...

Licorice Root - misplaced bottle? Will add back in if I locate it

Limcomin - ran out, may continue - not sure

Protease - digestive enzyme for digesting protein, really should refill this one!

Selenium - was taking an additional 200 mcg, stopped for right now due to nausea right when taken, reconsidering...

Possible nut allergy update

I am pretty convinced that I am allergic to cashews, possibly other nuts. I am cutting all nuts (except coconut for now) out of my diet as of tomorrow so that I can figure out for sure which ones affect me and be certain I am on the right track. I LOVE nuts!!! This would be a huge bummer for me. :-( I will stay off nuts for a whole week, then try a bit of peanut butter, then almonds, pecans, and finally cashews. The symptom that I have is a very itchy face... I'll keep you posted!

Will has not seemed to react any further to the cashews, so must have been something else bothering him at the time and it has stopped, so ?

Supplements update

I am updating my sidebar with current supplements, but this post will contain a tally of what I am getting from taking these so I can evaluate. I am also hoping to do some posts soon on each one and why I am taking it, as a reminder to myself! :-) Blogging is my external brain!

So here goes, this will be long...

Vitamins

A (from fish liver oil) 11,000 IU

B1 520 mg (thiamine)

B2 24 mg (riboflavin)

B3 220 mg (niacin)

B5 220 mg (as pantothenic acid)

B6 210 mg (pyridoxine)

B8 20 mg (inositol)

B9 2000 mcg (folic acid)

B12 1050 mcg (cobalamin)

Biotin 1010 mcg

Bx 20 mg (PABA)

C 200 mg

D (as cholecacliciferol) 1000 IU

D (from fish oil) 50 IU

E 40 IU

Minerals

Calcium Formula (horsetail grass, oat straw, comfrey root, lobelia)

Chromium 200 mcg

Iodine (kelp) 1015 mcg

Iodine (angstrom) 15 ppm - 1 tsp

Magnesium 30 mg

Manganese 2 mg

Potassium 30 mg

Selenium 50 mcg

Zinc (chelated) 52 mg

Free Aminos

5-L-Hydroxytryptophan 20 mg

L-Alanine 82 mg

L-Arginine 124 mg

L-Cysteine 28 mg

L-Cystine 124 mg

L-Glutamine 56 mg

Glycine 56 mg

L-Histidine 98 mg

L-Isoleucine 138 mg

L-Leucine 138 mg

L-Lysine 196 mg

L-Methionine 28 mg

L-Phenylalanine 15 mg

L-Serine 28 mg

Taurine 1028 mg

L-Threonine 112 mg

L-Tyrosine 716 mg

L-Valine 56 mg

MSM 1000 mg

Glandulars

Raw Thyroid 60 mg

Raw Adrenal 30 mg

Raw Pituitary 10 mg

Raw Spleen 10 mg

Herbs

Blessed Thistle 180 mg

Digestive Bitters Tonic (cardamom, raspberry, stevia, dandelion, orange peel, gentian root) 5000 mg

Milk Thistle 175 mg

Motherwort 500 mg

Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol) 100 mg

Vitex (agnus castus) 2000 mg

Winter Cherry (Ashwagandha) 570 mg

Probiotics

Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1.6 billion

Bifidobacterium bifidum 1.2 billion

Lactobacillus acidophilus 1.2 billion

Lactobacillus brevis 1.2 billion

Lactobacillus bulgaricus 1.2 billion

Lactobacillus plantarum 1.2 billion

Stretococcus thermophilus 1.2 billion

Bifidobacterium infantis 800 million

Bifidobacterium longum 800 million

Lactobacillus casei 800 million

Lactobacillus salivarius 800 million

Other (Foods)

Coconut milk - 8 oz in smoothies

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp in smoothies, also for cooking

Flax oil (unref, org, omega 3/6/9) - 1 tbsp

Maca - 5 g gelatinized powder

Favorite breakfast

I may have posted this before, but it is a favorite and worth doing so again. I have learned the way we like it best and can do it in one skillet for our family which is another reason to love it!

Eggs Benedict rendition

Place a couple Tbsp coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet, add 1/4 cup sliced red onion and 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms - cook until soft. Fill pan with spinach leaves and allow to cook down, fill again 2 more times, allowing to cook down between each. Stir to mix spinach with onion and mushrooms, add a couple squirts Bragg's aminos, and 2 Tbsp minced garlic. Next, crack eggs on top of the spinach, add salt and pepper, cover and allow to cook to desired doneness - less for sunny-side up, more for hard cooked yolks. Use a spatula to cut portions between eggs and scoop spinach and egg out onto plates. We like to add a bit of mayo mixed with lemon juice to the top for a bit of a kick.

Mock Shepherds Pie

Made this for dinner tonight:

2 heads cauliflower

2 pounds ground beef

3 large carrots, sliced thin

peas

green beans

Brown beef, I added minced garlic, minced onion, italian seasoning, and Bragg's aminos. Cut up 2 heads of cauliflower, put in large pot, cover with water and bring to boil. In smaller pot, place carrot slices, peas and beans and cook until soft. When cauliflower is soft, drain and place in blender, add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and 2 Tbsp chicken broth, garlic salt, salt and pepper - blend until creamy. I did this in 2 batches, adding seasonings to each. Place browned beef in bottom of 9x13 pan, drain veggies and place on top of beef. Pour 1/2 can of coconut milk on top and stir all together. Top with the pureed cauliflower and place in oven, uncovered at 375 for 25 min or until very lightly browned.

Comes out creamy and filling, you could taste the coconut milk - Tom said a bit too much and Will didn't care for that flavor at all but the girls and I loved the flavors and creaminess!

Notes re: supplements from GAPS book

Liquid is better than powder, tablet or capsule. Fulvic acid added ensures a very high absorption rate, also a good chelation of heavy metals. A good probiotic taken with supplements may have this soil bacteria (fulvic acid).

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