So in my last post, I mentioned that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease last September. Prior to being diagnosed I knew that something was seriously VERY wrong. I had abdominal pain so severe that it almost felt like I was in labor all over again. My allergies flared up like they never had before the spring prior to diagnosis. I remember doing a google search along the lines of "Hashimotos Thyroiditis and sudden severe allergies" and up popped a story about a woman just like me who stated that this is what she had prior to her Celiac diagnosis.
I did more online research on celiac - I certainly didn't fit most of the "textbook" symptom criteria. I would tell friends and family that I felt like I had celiac, and that maybe because of my thyroid condition instead of losing weight I was gaining. People were really quick to brush that off and say things like "nah I don't think you have that - your symptoms don't match".
What made me think that I did indeed have celiac was the fact that I had stopped my intake of beer for the most part. I was avoiding it, because it, more than anything else caused excessive abdominal pain and discomfort. My good friends back home in St Louis know me as a kind of "Beer Connoisseur Extraordinaire" how I loved to try new beers and enjoy the warm and fuzzy feeling they provided me with.
I finally informed my Dr that things were so severe that I was referring myself to a gastroenterolgist. I waited for 1 month to see him, and upon hearing my symptoms he was perplexed, but suggested testing for celiac - I told him that even thought I didn't "look" celiac I wanted to rule it out. Two days after the blood work was taken on Sept 25, 2009 I received the call that I did in fact test positive - the test was followed up by an endoscopy which also showed that I had damage to my villi and small intestine from the evil known as gluten.
Rather than be upset about it, I felt like jumping up and down! I was so thrilled to have a diagnosis that did not require medicine. I was also excited about eating better, not worrying about the cost involved in eating gluten free and hopefully being closer to feeling better and losing all the excess weight that I had been carrying since pregnancy.
It took about 4-5 months for me to lose 35-45lbs of weight that I was beginning to think I'd never lose. Eating gluten free isn't difficult for me, but what (and still is) difficult is waiting for the intestines to fully heal. I'm currently 9 months into it and I'm just now able to feel somewhat back to normal a fraction of the time. I'm told it can take up to 2 years for my intestines to heal completely.
I have learned to *truly* listen to my body now. I even find at times that foods labeled as Gluten Free can cause reactions that zap me of my energy, and cause abdominal pain. I'm really careful about everything that I eat. I eat more fresh foods, raw foods, and local foods than I ever have before. I'm eager to share all of my passion on the subject of health with friends and family. On September 25, 2009 - a new Elle entered the world full of gratitude (for a quick diagnosis and a wonderful Dr), full of hope (that I would feel better and lose the weight that I needed to) and overall happiness, because I could finally see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
New Blogspot!
I truly regret having to move to a new blogspot account, but I could no longer log in to the old one. I'm not sure if I set it up under a different email address and completely forgot it! I decided best to start a new one rather than not participate. So sorry for the inconvenience.
So many things have happened since I last posted. I was diagnosed with celiac, changed my eating habits - lost 45lbs and became pregnant with my second child! Everything is going as well as can be expected, and I'll go so far as to say that this pregnancy feels better than the first. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I truly love my job - taking care of my daughter, husband and doggies is the best thing that ever happened to me! I do know that Baby #2 is a boy, and I'm totally stoked about him! His sister is just going to adore him, I'm sure of it!
I always thought I ate a fairly healthy diet, until recently. Being celiac has allowed me to spend the extra money to take care of myself with organic foods, chiropractic care, gym membership among other things that I cannot think of right now. Life just keeps getting better and better. I'm forever grateful to have gone to a gastroenterologist who upon my first visit gave me the blood test for celiac. He caught it right away & I highly recommend him to everyone!
Here's to more posts from me in the future! I really want to keep this going!
Elle
So many things have happened since I last posted. I was diagnosed with celiac, changed my eating habits - lost 45lbs and became pregnant with my second child! Everything is going as well as can be expected, and I'll go so far as to say that this pregnancy feels better than the first. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I truly love my job - taking care of my daughter, husband and doggies is the best thing that ever happened to me! I do know that Baby #2 is a boy, and I'm totally stoked about him! His sister is just going to adore him, I'm sure of it!
I always thought I ate a fairly healthy diet, until recently. Being celiac has allowed me to spend the extra money to take care of myself with organic foods, chiropractic care, gym membership among other things that I cannot think of right now. Life just keeps getting better and better. I'm forever grateful to have gone to a gastroenterologist who upon my first visit gave me the blood test for celiac. He caught it right away & I highly recommend him to everyone!
Here's to more posts from me in the future! I really want to keep this going!
Elle
Are You a Composter?
Hi there,
So if any of you are interested in composting we just started this year. Its a great way to make good stuff for your gardens and the best part its all through using natural things, NO dodgy additives/chemicals of any kind! Just grass trimmings, hedge clippings, leaves, veg and fruit peels, water! The city of Plano, TX are great in giving info on how to get started, and ho,d classes on all types of things:composting, gardening, recycling etc. I bought my composter from the City of Coppell, just call the city of Coppell environmental dep. They sell them for 50 bucks. Way cheaper and bigger than composters online. Also, I think will we will buy some small buckets to compost in, in addition to our big composter.
Composting info to get bins:
816 S. Coppell RoadP.O. Box 9478Coppell, Texas 75019
Phone: 972-462-5100
Fax: 972-462-5149
Email:kcb@coppelltx.gov
check out: http://www.ci.coppell.tx.us/community-programs/master-composters To get more info on composting and how to get started, Good Luck, and keep us posted, we'll learn from each other:)
Thats all for now! Uzma
So if any of you are interested in composting we just started this year. Its a great way to make good stuff for your gardens and the best part its all through using natural things, NO dodgy additives/chemicals of any kind! Just grass trimmings, hedge clippings, leaves, veg and fruit peels, water! The city of Plano, TX are great in giving info on how to get started, and ho,d classes on all types of things:composting, gardening, recycling etc. I bought my composter from the City of Coppell, just call the city of Coppell environmental dep. They sell them for 50 bucks. Way cheaper and bigger than composters online. Also, I think will we will buy some small buckets to compost in, in addition to our big composter.
Composting info to get bins:
816 S. Coppell RoadP.O. Box 9478Coppell, Texas 75019
Phone: 972-462-5100
Fax: 972-462-5149
Email:kcb@coppelltx.gov
check out: http://www.ci.coppell.tx.us/community-programs/master-composters To get more info on composting and how to get started, Good Luck, and keep us posted, we'll learn from each other:)
Thats all for now! Uzma
The Awakening Part 2
Hey Guys,
So since my last post 4mths ago I have found some really cool places where you can get great local, fresh organic fruits, veggies and meats. Localharvest.org is a great webiste where you can find local organic farmers near where you live anywhere in the USA. Through this I found Squeezepenny farms, and Truth Hill Farm (you can google both of these names to access their websites).
Let me start my talking baout Squeezepennny farms. Penny the lady who has started this initiative in mckinney, tx and surrounding areas, realized the importance of organic food with her grandson. She told me that one day while babysitting her grandchild they went to get lunch and where ever she took him, the child said that he could not eat there as mommy does not let him! Penny's daughter in law only likes for her child to eat good wholesome organic foods:):) So Penny then began to cook organic meals for her grandchild and realized the importance of good nutrition. She then started the Sqeezepenny intitiaitve, which involves getting local farmers (including her own) to produce natural (no pesticide) or organic foods and together provide these to people like us:) We are still waiting on the spring produce, due to poor weather farmers have not been producing enough....cant wait to get our stash soon!:) Gooo Penny!
Truth hill farm is also a great place to get all your meat and dairy needs and more (check out their website). Ive been getting my meats from them and their eggs are GREAT! Call Christy she'll help you out!
I and my hubby are starting our own little patch of goodness in our backyard. Havnt decided what we'll plant yet, but we're excited. Will keep you posted on our progress.
Also:
Check out:http://www.scntx.com/articles/2010/03/06/allen_american/news/891.txt Elle told me about this initiative in allen, TX, where you can get your own patch of land for 10 bucks a year and plant whatever you like! So check this out too!
I know all of this information is pertaining to my local area of Dallas/Fortworth, TX, but if you go to Localharvest.org that site should help you out anywhere you are in the USA in finding good, local, fresh, organic foods...GOOD LUCK. Please let us know what you find, we'd LOVE to hear from you!
Thanks, Uzma
PS thanks to my awesome and beautiful son who was patient enough to let me write this today! I love You! xo Mum
So since my last post 4mths ago I have found some really cool places where you can get great local, fresh organic fruits, veggies and meats. Localharvest.org is a great webiste where you can find local organic farmers near where you live anywhere in the USA. Through this I found Squeezepenny farms, and Truth Hill Farm (you can google both of these names to access their websites).
Let me start my talking baout Squeezepennny farms. Penny the lady who has started this initiative in mckinney, tx and surrounding areas, realized the importance of organic food with her grandson. She told me that one day while babysitting her grandchild they went to get lunch and where ever she took him, the child said that he could not eat there as mommy does not let him! Penny's daughter in law only likes for her child to eat good wholesome organic foods:):) So Penny then began to cook organic meals for her grandchild and realized the importance of good nutrition. She then started the Sqeezepenny intitiaitve, which involves getting local farmers (including her own) to produce natural (no pesticide) or organic foods and together provide these to people like us:) We are still waiting on the spring produce, due to poor weather farmers have not been producing enough....cant wait to get our stash soon!:) Gooo Penny!
Truth hill farm is also a great place to get all your meat and dairy needs and more (check out their website). Ive been getting my meats from them and their eggs are GREAT! Call Christy she'll help you out!
I and my hubby are starting our own little patch of goodness in our backyard. Havnt decided what we'll plant yet, but we're excited. Will keep you posted on our progress.
Also:
Check out:http://www.scntx.com/articles/2010/03/06/allen_american/news/891.txt Elle told me about this initiative in allen, TX, where you can get your own patch of land for 10 bucks a year and plant whatever you like! So check this out too!
I know all of this information is pertaining to my local area of Dallas/Fortworth, TX, but if you go to Localharvest.org that site should help you out anywhere you are in the USA in finding good, local, fresh, organic foods...GOOD LUCK. Please let us know what you find, we'd LOVE to hear from you!
Thanks, Uzma
PS thanks to my awesome and beautiful son who was patient enough to let me write this today! I love You! xo Mum
Let Me Sing The Praises of Grapefruit Seed Extract!
I am thrilled to have found a natural healing supplement that cures a variety of aliments! Thank you midwife Amy! While nursing over the course of this past year, I've had several rounds of mastitis. Each time I took GSE and within days I was well. No nasty antibiotics needed! I took a variety of other supplements in conjunction with the GSE and I'd love to share the remedy. *please note, I'm a mom, not a Dr. or Midwife. Please consult with your own health care provider before taking these.
10 drops of GSE 3 times a day
Lots of:
vitamin C
garlic tablets
probiotics
fish oil
LOTS of water and fresh fruit/veggies
SLEEP, warm compresses, and LOTS of nursing
So once again I decided to give GSE a try last week when I came down with very sore throat and inflamed right tonsil. I gargled with water and 5 drops of GSE and then drank 10 drops mixed with juice. Saturday morning I was completely fine, no sore throat whatsoever. Love this stuff!!
Here's another little recipe for a fruit and veggie wash with GSE that will remove dirt and pesticides.
10-15 drops GSE
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
*I keep some in a little spray bottle by the sink and spray down my fruits and veggies with it, especially if they aren't organic. I let them soak a few minutes then rinse.
Mix gently or it will bubble over like a middle school science project!
You can find GSE at most natural food stores. It works wonders but it tastes terrible so pick up some tasty juice to pair with it. Cranberry or orange juice hides it well. Best wishes!
10 drops of GSE 3 times a day
Lots of:
vitamin C
garlic tablets
probiotics
fish oil
LOTS of water and fresh fruit/veggies
SLEEP, warm compresses, and LOTS of nursing
So once again I decided to give GSE a try last week when I came down with very sore throat and inflamed right tonsil. I gargled with water and 5 drops of GSE and then drank 10 drops mixed with juice. Saturday morning I was completely fine, no sore throat whatsoever. Love this stuff!!
Here's another little recipe for a fruit and veggie wash with GSE that will remove dirt and pesticides.
10-15 drops GSE
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
*I keep some in a little spray bottle by the sink and spray down my fruits and veggies with it, especially if they aren't organic. I let them soak a few minutes then rinse.
Mix gently or it will bubble over like a middle school science project!
You can find GSE at most natural food stores. It works wonders but it tastes terrible so pick up some tasty juice to pair with it. Cranberry or orange juice hides it well. Best wishes!
The Awakening
Yesterday after watching my DVRed Dancing with the Stars (Go Kelley Osborne!), I stumbled across a very informative piece on the weather channel about locally grown foods. The minute I began to watch this something deep inside of me started to awaken. Inside my head I could I hear me saying “Yes this is exactly what I should be doing”, and that was accompanied with a goofy dance (but lets just stick to the awakening part for right now). The piece on the Weather Channel was about a lady and her family in Virginia who decided that they would only eat locally grown organic foods for a year and see whether they could sustain it. Their mission was really to see if it was possible to live off their as well as local grown farmers produce without being bullied by big corporation made foods in supermarkets in which they were successful.
For me the message behind this is to really and truly begin to “own my food”. I want my family to eat clean, pure, untainted foods. I feel fed up of being at the mercy of large corporations who destroy the food we eat by pumping it with all kinds of chemical based product in order to make it look better, and last longer. My family eats organic foods and has been doing so for a while. Today when I was making dinner I found that the Zucchini, Tomatoes, Avocado and Bell Pepper (all organic) were from Mexico. After watching this show and Food Inc I really want to support my local organic farmers, who produce high quality uncompromised foods. My husband and I want to support the local farmers who are trying so hard to grow good food. I don’t want my child to grow up in a world where all of the food industry is running on food made by large corporations who just want to make profit and sacrifice/compromise the heath of the nation. If we don t support local farms then over time they will disappear and we will be left at the mercy of god knows who, but I do know this; that person/group of people will not give a dime about our health.
To sum it up, as of tomorrow I will be trying to find local farmers markets to buy our produce from. I know that there is a Farmers Market in Mckinney, TX and Frisco, TX.
Let the games begin…
For me the message behind this is to really and truly begin to “own my food”. I want my family to eat clean, pure, untainted foods. I feel fed up of being at the mercy of large corporations who destroy the food we eat by pumping it with all kinds of chemical based product in order to make it look better, and last longer. My family eats organic foods and has been doing so for a while. Today when I was making dinner I found that the Zucchini, Tomatoes, Avocado and Bell Pepper (all organic) were from Mexico. After watching this show and Food Inc I really want to support my local organic farmers, who produce high quality uncompromised foods. My husband and I want to support the local farmers who are trying so hard to grow good food. I don’t want my child to grow up in a world where all of the food industry is running on food made by large corporations who just want to make profit and sacrifice/compromise the heath of the nation. If we don t support local farms then over time they will disappear and we will be left at the mercy of god knows who, but I do know this; that person/group of people will not give a dime about our health.
To sum it up, as of tomorrow I will be trying to find local farmers markets to buy our produce from. I know that there is a Farmers Market in Mckinney, TX and Frisco, TX.
Let the games begin…
An Introduction
By simply typing some words on a blog, I know that I cannot convey the enthusiasm I have for this project. The main reason I feel this way is because Alana & Uzma are also involved. They are such dear friends to me that I STILL cannot believe how lucky I am not only to have met them, but to also call them friends. The three of us have agreed that working on a blog together, as a group of three, is not something we ever thought we would (or could) do. We will be blogging on a wide variety of subject matter. Posts will run the gamut from - how our day went - childhood memories - great local places to buy groceries and SO MUCH more.
I certainly have several high quality, excellent, wonderful AMAZING friends in the 'verse however, there are many things about Uzma and Alana (ALMA) that lead me to believe that the cosmos wanted us to meet,collaborate and inspire. Although we are each unique we share many common threads. For instance - we had due dates that were within one week! We were PASSIONATE about having intimate, drug- free birth's at the Allen Birthing Center. We share an avid interest in organic, healthy living and natural remedies. Alana and I both have male pug-dogs whom we cherish. The first time the three of us were in a room together it was for a Bradley Childbirth Prep class. It was one of the best classes I have ever taken, chock full of laughter along with some of the best information that an expecting mother can receive.
As friends we feel that we have so much love and knowledge to share with our communities. We appreciate the efforts of health conscious beings and businesses and wish to return the love.
The name "Natural Gems" was inspired by our children:
G.race -- E.aston -- M.lyes --- S.ubhaan
Without them we would have never met & obtained such divine insight into life! Obviously, we cannot imagine an existence without our GEMS.
Subject matter will appear organically, and it will vary, according to our interests. It is with great love that we share our lives with you & hope that we can help to heal our world.
Peace,
E.
I certainly have several high quality, excellent, wonderful AMAZING friends in the 'verse however, there are many things about Uzma and Alana (ALMA) that lead me to believe that the cosmos wanted us to meet,collaborate and inspire. Although we are each unique we share many common threads. For instance - we had due dates that were within one week! We were PASSIONATE about having intimate, drug- free birth's at the Allen Birthing Center. We share an avid interest in organic, healthy living and natural remedies. Alana and I both have male pug-dogs whom we cherish. The first time the three of us were in a room together it was for a Bradley Childbirth Prep class. It was one of the best classes I have ever taken, chock full of laughter along with some of the best information that an expecting mother can receive.
As friends we feel that we have so much love and knowledge to share with our communities. We appreciate the efforts of health conscious beings and businesses and wish to return the love.
The name "Natural Gems" was inspired by our children:
G.race -- E.aston -- M.lyes --- S.ubhaan
Without them we would have never met & obtained such divine insight into life! Obviously, we cannot imagine an existence without our GEMS.
Subject matter will appear organically, and it will vary, according to our interests. It is with great love that we share our lives with you & hope that we can help to heal our world.
Peace,
E.
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