Nutritional Baby Steps

Now

I lead a relatively healthy lifestyle. Especially, compared to what I used to live. I am post gastric bypass (2003) and have kept off the weight. At that time I gave up sugar, carbonation, juices, and high fat foods. I occasionally have bread, but, for the most part I try to eat high-protein. My doctor gave me a goal of 90 g of protein a day. That is not easy to do with your amount of food that I can consume in a day.  I added strawberry/banana protein smoothies, which I love! I recently bought a Nutrabullet and am starting to add flaxseed to my protein drinks. I also try to walk at least three times a week and love to participate in a yoga class when budget allows, but I'm not a saint. 

So what's the problem you're thinking?

 I have chronic pain. I am fortunate that mine is relatively mild and does not interfere with daily living and work. Lately, I feel irritable, and forgetful. Yeah, some of that is to be expected however maybe there something I can do about it. A few months ago I added turmeric to my supplements and had an almost immediate improvement. Still have pain, and the other things I mentioned, so I've decided to change up a few things in my lifestyle (again) and try and improve the way I feel some more!

What prompted this?

Again, as I mentioned, I have pain, and have felt irritable and forgetful. I am also unemployed and have been for three years. Yes, this will add to or be part of this problem - but it also means that I have time to do the research and change my lifestyle. It's a perfect opportunity!

The other evening I went to a free wellness workshop that with offered at the local township hall by one of the yoga instructors. It was a general wellness talk with the opportunity to purchase supplements from the presenter. It was a very soft sell so it wasn't annoying in any way. The presenter was very knowledgeable. I picked up several new tidbits. But mainly what I walked away with was a new resolve and conviction that I can improve the way I feel. 

Part of the presentation she offered free samples during the presentation. At the time I refuse them because they contained citric acid. I would have to do more research to find out how much before I could try them. She did offer a sample for me to take home and evaluate.

The free sample that she gave us contained a small amount of citric acid which I'm allergic to in that it will give me cold sores. This seems to be getting worse over time and I can tolerate it less and less. Since I already had a cold sore, I decided to try it anyway. It was a powder to mix with water to form an isotonic solution that I will break down for you on another post. I mixed it with a glass of water about 10 o'clock in the morning. It was amazing. I had good energy all day and low hunger. The big thing: I forgot to take my pain medicine before I went to bed. And I did not reach for my pain medicine first thing the next morning. Nothing has ever happened that quickly! I may consider a 30 day supply and see if there's any residual effects to the citric acid. 

In the meantime, I wanted to do some research on organic foods that I could introduce to my diet that would help in other ways.

I knew I would have to do some research in order to know where to start. There is an abundance of information and experts out there and I didn't know where to begin. I posted on Facebook that I was looking for other Facebook pages about nutrition that would help me learn more about feeling better and living organically. I had a huge response with suggestions and even some dietary suggestions. This morning, I wasted no time researching kale and dandelion greens and by afternoon I was at the local organic produce store making my first purchase.

Priority 1

Basically, I decided that the first thing I need to prioritize is my digestive health. If I cannot absorb the nutrients then I'm just wasting my time and money and getting no benefit. My thinking is: I have to get my digestive track working right and that will make me feel better and absorb more nutrients. 

Absorption is also a priority because I am post gastric bypass and have absorption issues in the first place. I already have to take a handful of supplements and vitamins each day because I can't absorb what I need by eating alone. I will write all of them down in another post on another day. Recently, I've added Vinpocetine 10mg 2x a day in my initial effort to improve my memory and cognitive health and I want to be able to keep track as I go through this process.

I don't want my first post to be a book but I did want to get something down that would remind me about several things I need to focus on as a part of this process. There are things I need to address, evaluate, research and try. For example, another thing I want to discuss in a later post is the lack of quality in our vitamins and supplements and how difficult it is to find a good one. I have replaced a few of mine but still working on that process as well.

I want to feel better and live healthier.

Hey, we all want to feel better, don't we?