Day 35, Stage 6 (day 3)

Photo update...

It's been 35 days.  My psoriasis has improved amazingly.  Still, I don't know if it's been time that has had a hand in the healing or the GAPS diet.  The only way to really tell is to keep on keepin' on with the diet.  If it doesn't return, I'll be able to give GAPS credit.  If it does return, well, I'll cross that bridge if I ever reach it.



knee




Foot today



Foot four weeks into psoriasis - 4 1/2 weeks ago




left hand





I have nails...and I paint them (non toxic, eco-friendly polish, of course)



Chocolate Cake

I just had to share more pictures of the chocolate cake I made yesterday.  The kids ate it for breakfast and I was okay with that.  I whipped up the coconut cream, which was not like whipped cream, but worked nicely to add wetness to the cake.  I also took a bag of frozen mixed berries, added a little honey and heated them up to accompany the cake. 

Okay, I had a piece, too.  I'm really such a cheater.  But, I'm not having any adverse intestinal reactions, so I'm okay.  I would not recommend continuing with this sort of indulging if you are experiencing adverse effects.  Be well!

Day 34, Stage 6 (day 2)

I had a salad yesterday with mixed greens, strawberries, apple, cheddar and Gouda.  It was delicious.  I made a dressing with olive oil, a little bit of salt, a little bit of honey and a bit of ...vinegar.  I'm still alive today.  I had made the salad for my family and couldn't resist.  I ate a lot of it.  Not a problem that I can see.  Thank goodness. 

Okay, so I'm a super cheater.  I had chocolate today.  I made a chocolate cake.  It was so yummy. 

I found this recipe on Elana's Pantry...my new favorite site.  It's very similar to the blueberry muffins/cake that I made the other day.  I also made my own substitutions to cater to my pantry items.  It tasted like cake.  Not like coconut flour cake.  Like, real gluten-filled cake. 

Chocolate Cupcakes (with my substitutions).

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cacao powder (the only thing I had was ghiradelli's dark chocolate powder)
1/4 cup cocoa butter nibs pulsed in food processor to teeny pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp all natural creme de menthe flavoring (you can't taste it in the cake, but it's enough to get rid of the coconut taste that angers my oldest son)

1. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients
2. In a large bowl, blend together wet ingredients
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet thoroughly
4. Line a glass pie plate with parchment and pour mix into it.
5. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes
6. Cool 
7. Serve

Makes one pie plate of cake.

Next time I make this...or tomorrow when I eat it...I may make a frosting with either raw cream or coconut cream.  I have a box of coconut cream I have wanted to try.

The lighting was terrible, so the shot is too.  But look!  It's cakey and lovely. 

Day 32, Stage 5-ish...again.

I made a super delicious cake today with coconut flour.  I got a recipe for a blueberry cupcake, but I didn't have paper muffin cups, so I just lined a pie plate with parchment, lessened the honey content and called it breakfast. 

As you can see, there wasn't much left over.  Actually, I had to rip the pie plate from my son's hands in order to take the picture.  

Here's the recipe with my own twists -

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

one egg

2 egg whites (I would have used 3 eggs, but I didn't have any...)

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup frozen blueberries

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix all wet ingredients together, sans blueberries.  Mix wet with dry until smooth.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour in parchment lined glass pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes.  It still seemed a bit wet in the middle.  Perhaps it was because of my substitutions.  It was still yummy.  Yes, I ate some.  I hadn't had blueberries yet (and they weren't organic...gasp!), but I seemed to fare well with them today. 

Day 31, Stage 5

Nothing crazy was eaten today.  No gas or stomach pains either. 

Hamburgers w/avocado and tomato for breakfast.  Lunch was leftover hamburger and some asparagus soup.  Dinner was chicken sausage w/onions and peppers.  Late night snack - carrot juice.

I recently went to see an applied kinesiologist.  He told me that the Cod Liver oil wasn't what my body wanted or needed...so I'm now taking a DHA.  My body apparently LOVES the Bio Kult probiotics.  I was also put on a Riboflavin (vitamin b), which makes my urine fluorescent yellow and a molybdenum.  I will say that I will finish out the bottles, but not buy more.  I researched molybdenum online and it isn't something that people are usually short on.  In very rare cases there is a deficiency.  I've been super sleepy, and coincidentally, over usage of molybdenum causes sleepiness. 

I also stopped eating pork.  My fingers started to peel again.  They had been peel-free for two weeks.  Then, I started eating sausage like it was going out of style.  I love pork and was so thrilled that my butcher could make a sugar-free pork sausage.  I did some more online research and found that pork and psoriasis can go hand-in-hand.  I stopped eating it 6 days ago and the peeling is not getting worse.  It's fading away. 

Getting to know my triggers is key.  I get frustrated when things go awry, but I'm thankful that I'm so in tune with what is going on that I'm able to eventually see what is adversely affecting my body.  Instead of masking the symptoms...taking a pill for the ill...I'm getting to the root of the problem.  I am sad that bacon may not be a part of my life anymore... Gosh...I love bacon.

Day 30, Stage 5.5...ish

After throwing so much carrot pulp into the chicken coop and compost, I decided to find a recipe using it.  I found one for Basil crackers. 

Basil crackers

I also made a batch of GAPS legal macaroons.  I ate quite a few of those. 

I also made Hempseed Apricot Chews from Whole Foods Market. 

I ate one of those. 

My belly did not like something I ate today. 

Today, I'll go back to soups for a day or two to give my insides a rest.  　
by Sophie Quinn

carrot or vegetable pulp from juicing (about 5 cups)
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 cup basil, chopped or dried handful cylantro, chopped
2 ripe tomatos, chopped
1 cup (or more) sprouted and crushed nuts (almonds, sesame, sunflower...etc.) - I used raw pepitas
sea salt, dulse or braggs to taste

Use a spatula to spread over teflex sheet in dehydrator or pan in oven and dehydrate for about 8 hrs or until completely dry. Wonderful with guacamole or other dips! Also a great way to make convience food out of compost.
I ate a handful of them.  They were dry, but my husband made mini sandwiches with them.  My kids put cream cheese in between them. 

Day 28, Stage 5 (day 8)

I've lost some weight.  I wish I could tell you exactly how much, but I can't.  You see, I don't own a scale.  I can tell you that in a week my husband lost 4.5 lbs from cutting grains out of his diet.  He jumps on the scale at work.  I could make an educated guess based on comments from people, the way my clothing fits and the way I feel.  I'd have to say about 10lbs in less than a month. 

Today I had some mango juice in my daily juicing. I also ate some more raw cucumbers.  I'm faring well.

More baked apples...



Prior to baking - cored apples with drizzled honey and cinnamon.



Baked at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.



With sunbutter!



Cultures and Coconut

I have been making my own yogurt for some time now.  I had always used store-bought yogurt, but I recently purchased a starter online.  In using store-bought yogurt, the homemade raw yogurt came out very strong.  The kids wouldn't touch it.  This particular starter created a very mild tasting yogurt, like the packet says.  I warmed the milk a bit, to a little over 100 degrees and added one starter packet.  I stirred, wrapped in a towel and placed it in my oven with the light on.  It sat there for almost 24 hours to make sure the lactose was all gone.  The milk I used (gasp) was slightly soured to begin with.  So the yogurt was, too.  But the kids didn't seem to care.  Score 1.

Coconut.  GAPS friendly coconut.  Coconut is important to our family.  We can't eat nut flours, so coconut flour is awesome.  It's much denser than other flours and requires a lot of eggs to create a palatable result.  I've made really yummy muffins with coconut flour.  However, the next day, they're not so yummy.  Tropical Traditions has a ton of delicious recipes to try out.  I didn't buy their flour this time around, though.  I wanted to try another company...Wilderness Family Naturals.  The prices were comparable to what I would pay via Amazon.com, with shipping being the just about the cost of one 1.1 pound bag of flour.  I haven't priced how much it costs in the stores...I should probably do that.  I like that Wilderness Family Naturals is family run and maintains it's relatively small status. 

I haven't tried the coconut flour yet.  I'm waiting until I move out of the intro diet.  I also purchased a jar of coconut spread.  I cannot wait to try it. 



Day 26, Stage 5 (day 5)

Soups were simple to make, but as I move through the intro, soups are becoming less and less.  I've been eating more baked foods.  The challenging thing has been breakfast, for two reasons:

1. Throwing a bunch of food into a soup pot and walking away is easy.  Baking up separate things has been more difficult.
2. Trying to figure out what to eat, in itself,  has been difficult too.  Baking a chicken in the morning is time consuming.

There are definitely things to remedy my whining.  Cooking food ahead of time is one option.  I'm not that prepared as of yet. 

I've actually started cooking things on the stove in a cast iron pan.  I've been adding water so as not to "fry" the stuff.  It's almost like cooking a soup, but without all that liquid.  I take the food out once it's cooked and there's barely any water left. 

This morning the kids wanted haddock for breakfast.  They're learning fast.  A pound of haddock split between two kids and me.  The other kid ate the last piece of sprouted spelt bread.  I hope he enjoyed it. 



homemade breakfast sausage patty, red pepper and sweet onion




This one was left in the skillet a little too long while I tended to a child-related "emergency".  It happens.
Sausage, onions, garlic, spinach.

 Our chickens either stopped laying momentarily, or started laying somewhere I cannot locate.  Silly husband of mine unplugged their light and neglected to plug it back in.  We've been without eggs for 3 days, so my egg consumption has come to a halt.  Eggs are definitely always a terrific breakfast option.  I like mine poached.  I don't do it Julia Child's style, but they are still yummy nonetheless.

Easy Poached Eggs

Boil water.  When it just starts to boil, crack the egg into the water.  Turn off the water and let it sit.  When the egg whites are cooked through, remove with slotted spoon.  The yolk might be super runny or partially cooked, depending on your gauge of white-doneness (that's not really a word is it?). 

Day 26, Stage 5

I haven't been cooking anything extraordinary enough to take pictures.  I've had a raw slice of cucumber.  I have been baking food, like sausage with veggies.  Below:  zucchini, roma tomatoes, and onion, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Baked until done.  Yum!

Here's what the top of my stove looks like on any given day.  Meat defrosting for that night's dinner.  Crockpot full of broth.  Raw yogurt or soured cream fermenting, wrapped in a tea towel, next to the crockpot for warmth.  Soup.  This soup actually is not for me.  

I ate a piece of raw cheddar cheese about ten minutes ago.  We'll see...

Day 23, Stage 5 (day 1)

This morning, in addition to my carrot, celery, beet, ginger juice, I added half of a Braeburn apple.  Half.  It was so sweet that it was hard to drink it all.  All I kept thinking was, "Wow! This is sooo sweet!" 

For lunch I had leftover roasted chicken breast, 3 tbs of soured cream with a little sea salt and two Bubbies kosher dill pickles.  The salty soured cream with the chicken reminded me of cheese. 

I baked an apple and I added a drizzle of honey.  I ate 1/4 of it and gave the rest to my son...who inhaled it. 

I couldn't get that apple out of my head.  So, I baked 5 of them for after dinner.  I ate mine and then took bites of someone else's (who promptly yelled, "Hey!!!")

Don't be surprised if I throw up from the cheating. 

The GAPS book says to eat a spoonful one day, then wait two days and introduce some more, if all is well.  I couldn't help myself.  It was just so yummy. 

For dinner I had ground beef and broccoli soup...again.  The kids love it.  To get the kids to eat it, I puree the onions prior to putting them in the pot.  If my eldest does not see onions, he's fine.  He thinks it's just beef and broccoli.  It's the same with coconut oil.  If you don't tell him there's coconut oil in something, if it's not noticeable, he's enjoying every last bite.  If he finds out there's coconut oil in it, he promptly puts it down, expresses how much he hates coconut oil, and walks away. 

How Much Will GAPS Cost Me?

A very valid question.  I am doing GAPS alone.  I still have 4 other people to feed.  Here's a shopping list for my family.  It changes slightly each week, depending upon our needs, but it pretty much stays the same.
At Hannaford Supermarket:
1 Ginger root
3 cucumbers
7 bags of carrots
6 heads of garlic
2 heads of cauliflower
16 Roma tomatoes
2 winter squash
10 sweet onions
3 large heads broccoli
3 zucchini
8 pears
10 apples
box of clementines
4 navel oranges
1 bunch bananas
3 mangoes
2 jars of kimchi
1 jar sauerkraut
1.5 lbs Deli turkey
Large box of baking soda
Dish detergent
Box of Tomato Soup
1 bag cat food
1 bag gluten free oats
1 bag gluten free fries

That is almost $200. 

At Whole Foods:

1 container raw sunflower seeds
pitted dates
dried cranberries
pitted prunes
6lbs 85% ground beef
4 bone-in pork chops
1lb stew beef
2lbs ground pork
4lbs chicken breast (bone in)
12 pork sausages (specially made)
2 whole chickens
1 pkg hemp seeds
2 Jars Bubbies pickles

That equals $168

I also ordered online some coconut oil - 2 tubs from amazon = $41.00 
And we buy our milk from a raw dairy.  Add $10.

For a family of 5, one on GAPS, we're spending $400 per week on food for the intro diet.

Is it worth it?  Let's think about it.  If my psoriasis did not clear up on it's own and I didn't have the knowledge that I do, I'd be buying expensive tubs of skin cream and I'd be on corticosteroids, at the very least.  The steroids may or may not help.  Some people have to switch steroids and meds to see what works for them.  These medications also have side-effects such as
Potential side effects of topical steroids include skin damage, such as "skin thinning, changes in pigmentation, easy bruising, stretch marks, redness and dilated surface blood vessels. Steroids can be absorbed through the skin and affect internal organs when applied to widespread areas of skin, used over long periods of time, or used with excessive occlusion."
Some people use phototherapy or laser treatments.  Those who are unresponsive to corticosteroids and phototherapy end up heading towards systemic medications.  These have been in use for 10 years or so.  Some side effects of one of these systemics are as follows:

• Hair loss
• Chapped lips and dry mouth
• Dry skin and eyes
• Bleeding gums and nose bleeds
• Increased sensitivity to sunlight
• Peeling fingertips and nail changes
• Changes in blood fat levels
• Depression
• Aggressive thoughts or thoughts of self-harm
• Headache
• Joint pain
• Decreased night vision
• Elevated liver enzymes

We eat well...I mean lots of fruits and veggies, organics, locally grown.  We used to buy our meats through a csa, but now just buy what we need as we need it.  We've always spent a decent amount on food.  I would rather eat well and feel good than lose my hair, develop arthritis (which psoriasis can lead to) and be aggressive, depressed and lose my night vision! 

The extra money spent is probably equal to or less than what the overall deterioration of my health would cost.  Never mind not being able to be myself and be there for my family.   

We've had to cut costs.  We've had to make certain decisions regarding our finances.  Do we really need this thing or that?  I certainly do look at our grocery bill each week and think, "If I buy conventional meats and produce and products, we'd have x-amount of extra money each week.  That would save us a lot!"  But would it...really?

Day 22, Stage 4 (day 6)

I baked some GAPS bread today.  I had to omit the almonds and substitute with sunflower seeds. 

Recipe for "bread":

1.25 cups of sunflower seeds, ground into a flour in the food processor

1.5 eggs (I just saved the other half of the egg for later)

2 Tbs soured cream

1/2 of a small organic zucchini

Blend everything until like porridge.  I greased a glass pie dish with coconut oil, put a piece of parchment down and pressed.  Then I flipped the parchment over and pressed again, so that both sides were greased.  

I poured the mixture in and baked at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. 

I ate it.  Oh man!  It was disgusting.  Tolerable, because I'm a grown up, but disgusting just the same.  My 2-year-old took a huge bite, started chewing and spit it back out.  I thought he was going to cry.  He kept saying, "I don't want this, it's disgusting!"

Now, I'm a grown up, so I could give it another go.  I cooked up some sausage, peppers and onions.  I cut up an avocado.  When eaten all together and you can't taste the "bread", it's okay.  Once I can add things like honey and dried fruit to it, I'm sure it'll be better.  But as it stands, it needs to be consumed smothered in other goodness.  I also have a pie plate full of the "bread" and I cannot waste it.  I will eat every last piece. 

Sausages!  If you know your butcher, go talk to him (or her).  My butcher over at Whole Foods Market was kind enough to make me special sausages.  Pork, salt, pepper and fennel.  I also had him whip up a batch of chicken sausages with the same ingredients.  The regular ones they have out have sugar in them. 

Onions and Peppers!  One onion, one yellow pepper, one orange pepper mixed with 1/4 cup of leftover sausage fat (from last night's dinner) and a sprinkling of sea salt.  Baked at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the desired tenderness. 

Tomorrow I will begin Stage 5.  I haven't had any other adverse reactions to roasting meats or to any of the other foods.  I'm excited to eat a baked apple!

Nail Biting

I've been a chronic nail biter since I can remember.  The only time I wasn't was in 2001 when I tried to not bite them.  I lasted quite a few years without biting my nails.  With the birth of each baby I would bite my nails a little bit.  When my youngest was born, that was it.  I started biting consistently and my nails were almost gone within a week. 

Since I got psoriasis I have not bitten my nails.  (You can see a sample of what my nails looked like here.  You'll have to scroll down to the last picture.)  I attribute this to two things.  1 - my hands were swollen so much that I couldn't bite my nails. And then my hands hurt so much that I couldn't.  2 - I just don't have the urge to anymore. 
I haven't replaced the behavior with anything...except blogging.  But I don't blog all day long. 

The what's and why's of nail biting:

Compulsive nail biting is often observed in people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. The most well-understood form of compulsive self-mutilation is trichotillomania or hair pulling, and this also tends to disproportionately afflict people with OCD. Because it is a repetitive behavior and common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, is sometimes considered a related OC spectrum disorder. These disorders tend to run in families.

There are several reasons why nail-biters continue their behaviors, and it can be more that just a matter of will-power.

• Self-Soothing: When stressed, many people feel a need for self-soothing and find they feel better when they bite their nails. It has a sort of calming effect on their nervous systems and reduces levels of stimulation.
• Stimulation: On the other hand, when people are bored or inactive, nail-biting may provide a needed level of stimulation for the nervous system. It may help keep a person alert or awake when they would otherwise become bored or distracted.
• Perfectionism: Nail-biters may spend hours examining their nails or fingers for the tiniest irregularity and then try to fix it, in hopes of achieving an improved appearance. Paradoxically, the nail-biting always ends up with the nails looking much worse in spite of their efforts.

Nail-biting can result in a self-perpetuating cycle. Nail-biting may lead to shame and anxiety, which can result in more of the behavior. 

the above is from http://www.brainphysics.com/nail-biting.php

The GAPS diet claims to help those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  "Children and young adults with ADHD/ADD, OCD, depression and other neuro-psychological problems are very often reported to suffer from digestive abnormalities."

Did the GAPS diet help with my nail biting?  I would like to think so.  My psoriasis has cleared up tremendously on my hands now.  My fingertips have been healed for over a week now and I have no compulsion to bite my nails. 

Day 21, Stage 4 (day 5)

I had a minor setback.  Well, not really a set back.  My husband wanted to start GAPS.  So for the past two days I had been getting him on track as much as possible.  Yesterday, day 2, he informed me that he was done.  He needed food options.  Really...day 2?  He wanted to start GAPS for weight loss and overall health...but he wasn't that invested in it.  So, he's off GAPS and I'm back on track. 

Benefits of having both parents on GAPS - only feeling compelled to make one meal instead of two or three.  The children, who have protested soups and deemed me at the worst mom and cook ever, have now fallen in love with the ground beef and broccoli soup.  My middle son, who is 4, said, "Thank you mom, for making a soup that we like.  I just love you!"  I smiled, hugged him and said, "You're welcome, sweetie."  I was thinking, however, "This is the same stinkin' soup I've been making every two days for the past 3 weeks!"

Yesterday morning I had this breakfast:


avocado, scrambled eggs with onion in coconut oil


This morning I had this breakfast:

Two scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil.  Sauteed onions in pork fat and coconut oil. 
Homemade sausage patties:

1 lb ground pork
1-2 tbs sage
1 tbs thyme
some sea salt, freshly ground pepper
some cayenne pepper - I think I did about 6-7 shakes of the bottle.  I was afraid of it being too spicy for the kids.

Mix well, form into patties, bake at 350 until done.  If I can smell them, they're done. 

Gluten Syndrome or Healing Your Gut

When my husband and I went grain free almost two years ago, we noticed some amazing improvements in our overall health.  I started running again and on my first day out I ran a mile without any problem.  Prior to that I hadn't run in about a year. 

Our headaches went away. I wasn't aiming for the OTC pain relievers anymore.  My husband no longer had acid reflux.  He had a large-bottle-of-antacid a week need. 

There are many benefits of going grain-free or even gluten-free.  Science Daily reported on a study done that showed marked improvement with migraines after participants began a gluten-free diet.  
A hypothesis was posed that if gluten is indeed the culprit of The Gluten Syndrome, then gut damage and nutritional deficiency would not even have to be considered.  Ford states that "Gluten-sensitivity without histological gut damage, has been shown to provoke neurological dysfunction." 

That said, I don't think that people should ignore their guts and focus on the Gluten Syndrome.  There is still much benefit to be had from healing your gut.  Additionally, Ford states,
     "The histological gut damage in celiac disease is not mediated through this neurologic system.
      It is caused by local toxicity to the bowel in susceptible people. If these people

      are not highly sensitised to gluten, then they may not experience any symptoms mediated

      through neural networks. The implication of gluten causing neurologic network damage is

      immense. With estimates that at least one in 10 people are affected by gluten, the

      health impact in enormous. Understanding the gluten syndrome is important for the health

      of the global community."

Not only for gluten sensitivity, but for many other ailments as well.  Going gluten free, as suggested for the Gluten Syndrome, does not heal the gut and help issues such as allergies and other food intolerance's.   

I think that the hypothesis of the Gluten Syndrome definitely has it's validity, but don't discredit the benefits of healing your gut first.