What I am eating these days

People are always curious about what I eat. What I eat won’t necessary work for you. I had a lot of food testing done and found some slight food allergies and have done a  lot of trial and error. In the past 6 months I have slowly assumed a slight variation of the Paleo diet. I was feeling quite alone on this journey and with my  personal views on nutrition as a person with GP. I have obtained a huge (slightly disturbing) book and cook book collection on nutrition, diet, and Paleo and I find with all my research and personal common sense avoiding all processed foods, sugar, gluten, dairy made sense for me with an already fragile digestive tract and a slow functioning digestion.

When I was doing some reading today I came across Living well with Gastroparesis blog and revisited  her posts and discovered she is also leaning toward this clean eating lifestyle and away from the “standard” GP friendly diet. I admire her work so profoundly. I own all her books. My only issue with them was the recipes and diet because they just didn't sit well with me even though they were “low fat “low fiber”.   I am excited for these ideas to become a more common and researched subject for people suffering with GP.  It made me feel oddly less alone in this food/lifestyle journey. I have gotten a lot of comments some harsh about what I am eating not being “Gastroparesis Friendly”. I would have to agree I find the standard publications on Gastroparesis dietary guidelines to be poisonous for me. Everyone is very different and no one thing will work for everyone.

However a  healthy, clean, organic eating does make a huge difference on side effects, symptoms and your overall health.

My Diet, Life and GP Management plan are a constant work in progress. Below are some staples that work well for me. This list does not cover everything I eat but does give an over view of what I consume the most frequently. I try and eat 100% Organic, grass fed hormone free meats, and unprocessed (unaltered) foods.

 

What I eat:

Well tolerated: Organic Grass Fed lean ground meats: Ground Turkey, Chicken,Venison, bone broth made from  Chicken or Turkey,

Wild Caught Salmon and Trout, some Tuna and Tilapia

Soups and Stews,

Slow roasted organic vegetables, Sweet Potato, Acorn Dquash, Butternut Squash, Parsnips, Spaghetti Squash, Carrots, Yams

 Slowly steamed or sautéed veggies Spinach, Kale, Carrots, Apples, Pears, 

 

**Personal allergies, wheat, dairy, peanut butter

** Personal choices,  eliminated sugar, all processed foods, dairy. Dairy is the toughest for me to avoid but I notice a huge difference when I am a 100% dairy free

 

**No skins, I cook a lot of fruit and veggies with skins then remove them post roasting.

 

Organic eggs ( we have our own chickens)

Organic fruits, banana I eat raw or in a smoothie, melons, watermelon, raspberries, kiwi, otherwise I cook the  fruit,

I do keep my diet low fat and fiber to help aid digestion time and I eat small meals 6 plus time a day

I drink a lot of water 2-3 liters a day

I drink a lot of smoothies, You can always find one made and ready in my Fridge

Fresh squeezed juices, spinach, cucumber, apples, ginger, celery, carrots to name a few favorites ..

Unsweetened Organic Almond milk,

Unsweetened Organic Coconut milk

Organic Coconut oil, it is great for healing for your gut and an excellent source of healthy fat

Avocado, Olive oil, are some other healthy fats I consume

Organic Sunflower butters and Almond butter both unsweetened and without salt

Honey, Homemade Maple Syrup. I have cut back on Honey and opt for Maple Syrup since looking into FODMAP diet.

 

 

Not Paleo**eaten rarely rice, some quinoa, chia seeds, wine, chocolate 

Spring

Happy Spring! 

I have been busy preparing for my spring classes to begin, working, being a mom and wife. I have also been busy trying to expand my website and Facebook pages. I have added a new website and Instagram account "healthy friendly living" it will include more meals, recipes and pictures of my families meals. They will all be Gluten and refined Sugar free recipes but not 100% Gastroparesis Friendly. 

I have very excited about the addition. I have also started receiving emails with questions which has been very exciting and fun for me. I am studying to become a Certified Health Coach so this is giving me some practice.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the spring weather

Xx JVW

Gastroparesis Friendly Living

Good morning, 

I deeply appreciate the support from my readers. I love hearing how this blog, recipes, ideas help or haven't helped with your GP. I have this blog and now website Gastroparesisfriendlyliving.com to have an outlet of sorts for my daily choices and food experiments. I am fully aware that sadly a lot of these foods may no longer by GP friendly for everyone. I know that Gastroparesis often progresses so drastically that food of any kind is really no longer an option. My heart aches over that realization. I am purely trying a different approach for myself, my GP and where it is right now. I have poured over health and diet books and combed through all of Crystal Zaborowski's work. She has such an amazing, positive and health concious approach to managing her Gastroparesis it gives me a great sense of hope. I love and admire her work! 

I have found the Paleo Challenge (edited to be more GP Friendly) extremely helpful so far. We are on day 13 and I have noticed some very positive health changes so far. I still have terrible days, vomiting, pain, weakness. But I feel overall healthier if that makes sense. Clearer head, less groggy, less sore, less bloated, more regular, more energy even on bad days. I would like to thank Becky and Carmen again for their undying support, good humor and sense of adventure for throwing in the towel and joining me the past thirteen days. I couldn't have made it this far without you both, the daily texts, picture messages, dates make it all so much more fun, manageable and enjoyable. I realize Gastroparesis isn't well know and a lot of people have no idea what it is let alone what it actually does to a person, mentally and physically. Knowing this makes me really deeply appreciate my family and friends that have educated themselves on this disease and been such a positive, loving support system for me. It makes world of difference. Having a community of Gastroparesis "sisters" has also made a huge difference. It's comforting to feel the support and kindness this community of people have for one another. I have never read kinder comments on blogs, websites, social media accounts then on GP ones! It's inspiring! 

I took a huge personal step this week and signed up for college classes to become a Certified Health Coach. I am hoping to complete the program with in a year and start practicing in my area. I deeply believe in the power of nutrition and am extremely excited to start learning more.

I am aware this will make a huge impact on me, my health, family and finances, but my husband John and I feel that this will be a very positive thing for me and our family. It's cute how enthustiastic my two older daughters are about "mama going back to school" especially my nine year old who is thrilled with the thought of a homework buddy:)

The next year is bound to be an exciting one.

Xx

-JVW

Honey Glazed Butternut Squash

I took one Butternut Squash, peeled, removed seeds and cube it.

I spread the cubes onto a coconut oil sprayed baking sheet and roasted it for 20 @375

Removing from the oven I drizzled the Squash with honey and gave it a nice toss. Back into the oven until soft. About another 15 minutes. 

Some I used as a mini meal the rest got refridgerated for the coming days:)

Enjoy

-JVW

Easy Paleo, Gluten Free and Gastroparesis Friendy Breakfast

I took 2 cups spinach and cut it into smaller pieces with my kitchen scissors. I steamed the spinach in a small pot with water for a few minutes until soft, drained and placed on a plate.

Then I cooked one egg over easy and placed it on top. Boom a healthy easy breakfast. 

Enjoy 

-JVW 

Random updates: Getting on board with social media, 21 day Paleo challenge

Yesterday I started a Gastroparesis Friendly Living Facebook page! It was a huge step for me and we will see how it works out. I really enjoy posting daily pictures on IG of my meals and life. The whole huge world of Facebook is honestly a bit intimidating to me. 

I also started a 21 day Paleo challenge with two of my sweet friends on March first. Today is day six and I have been noticing a lot of differences and shifts.

First off I have been vomiting less!(yay)! I made it four days vomit free which was huge. I have also been feeling a lot less bloated and sore. Usually my belly is swollen and sore a large amount of the time. During the past six days I have been noticing a huge difference in my swelling and pain. I can button pants without feeling discomfort, I can bend over and stand up with out wincing in pain. So that is phenomenal. I have almost been maintaining  my current weight as well which was a big concern for me since I have spent the past 4 months working hard on gaining. I have been feeling a lot more clear and hydrated which is a pleasure. Overall I have not experienced any negative symptoms. I have been missing my 0% fat Greek yogurts and my rice cakes with banana and honey:) but overall it's been a very positive and exciting six days! Fingers crossed this helps relieve some of the nasty symptoms we GPers experience. 

I have been working on a lot of new simple and clean GP friendly recipes and am I hoping to start updating my blog more frequently with them. 

Enjoy

- JVW 

To eat or not to eat

So this sadly ( pathetically)  is more a venting post then anything else.

I had a flare up that started mildly on Friday and progressed into a mega beast over the weekend into Monday. I hate that even with being 98% strict with my diet, quantity, and quality I still can't mange or control these flare ups. Sometimes I am lucky and feel one coming and switch to fluids only (such a fun thing) making it disappears before becoming a full blown disaster. But mostly boom when one begins I am down and out.... Sometimes for days. 

On Monday the vomiting was so intense I started having nose bleeds. My poor two year old Charlotte was so freaked out it broke my heart. She couldn't stop trembling and crying about my "broken nose" for hours. Not something I had ever invisioned subjecting my children too. 

 I need food, I want food yet when I eat food I get sick. It's a mind game that sadly I feel like I am too often on the loosing end of. On a fluid only diet I am weak, loosing weight, cranky, sad, hungry oh so hungry and I miss the actually action of eating terribly. I still have to make meals and snacks for the family which is a whole different level of torture. I can loose anywhere from 2-10 pounds in a week from fluid only diet. Making me weaker and sicker feeling and looking. When eating small balanced meals like the ones I post I can maintain a healthier weight, enegery level and mood . But it seems like my flare ups and pain are stronger and longer lasting. It's also seems that they are becoming stronger in general. Like the GP is progressing. 

It's the new normal having mom walking around with heat packs and tea and getting up at any given time to go vomit and then return to whatever I was doing. Our youngest often asks me "how's your belly feeling mama" or I hear Ellie saying "oh moms going to throw up" if I leave the room suddenly and my oldest makes plans and then looks at me and goes " if you aren't too sick then". It's like I have become a unreliable person. And that is a first for me, I am use to being accountable and punctual. The kids, bless them don't seem to love me any less and are really starting to consider it all "normal". 

My husband is a trooper, having a suddenly sick often vomiting wife can't be fun. But he never lets on to that, and for that I feel so blessed. 

It has been getting me down that I no longer can function "normally". I am easily tired, often sore, weak, foggy, starving, anxious, overwhelmed and did I mention starving?! I once read this disease is like slowly starving to death and I think that person may have been right. Even when I am at a more healthy weight ( heighest BMI to date 17.6) I am still hungry, feeling deprived and feeling anxious about food because I know it's so fleeting and could be days again before the next meal stays down.  

All that venting said and done I know I am incredibly blessed and that I have numerous healthy days where I can act normally and pass as disease free. But the physiological part has been wearing at me. 

Hoping some day sooner then later they find a way to repair the Vagus nerve and this will all be just a bad dream!:)

- JVW 

Eliminating sugar

We recently lost a dear friend to breast cancer. She was an incredible women and the most inspirational fighter! After her vigil my husband and I had a long drive home without our girls to discuss life, health and dealth. I know so much is random and uncontrollable but we stared discussing the small things we could control! Diet being key, we have always eaten well and limited any junk food. Our kids have never had soda and limited pre made cookies, chips, cereal etc... However things slowly accumulate over time. We decide to really reevaluate our pantry, fridge and freezer. 

Lucky for me the following day was a snowy one and I started fine tooth combing over all our products. I was floored by all the hidden sugar!!! In bread, bagels, organic mayo, organic ketchup, organic marinate, peanut butter, organic jelly, gluten free bread..... List was endless it was EVERYWHERE! As was some sneaky Gluten. 

After a big purge and a big reboot we were back on track. A trip to trader joes and a lot of label reading got us some new ketchup, mayo, peanut butter and jelly. We are all learning to live without a few favorite items and taking more time preparing our snacks. The house is stocked with healthy nuts, grains, flours, maple syrup, honey, spices, condiments, unsweetened plain yogurts, eggs, cheese, milk, orange juice, veggies and fruit. I also got some puffed millet and Kermut which are single ingredient items to replace cereal when homemade granola isn't desired. We made some homemade bagels and found delicious four  ingredient  bread from our local bakery, wheat, Yeast, water, salt= amazing! 

I have always been a from scratch cooker and baker but realized we had gotten lazy with our breakfast cereals and snack options. I feel so much better being back on track and keeping our food as local, organic, unprocessed, sugar free as possible. I know eating clean and simple is the easiest way for me to manage my gp and keep us all feeling great and healthy! 

-JVW

Rice flour muffins

I Try and  bake 100% Gluten Free ( our 4 year old has Gluten intolerance) and sugar free (for health reasons) when I sweeten bake goods I try to use apple sauce, maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar. 

I made two batches of these muffins, one savory as a dinner biscuit type muffin and one sweet for dessert. Both turned out very well especially taking into account the healthy, basic, clean ingredients. 

Please remember for most GP people a huge percent of their tolerance is based on quantity. One muffin is one serving. Too many will make your fiber content too high and could cause flare ups. 

I had one two days ago when they were hot out of the oven and one yesterday for breakfast, both times they were tolerated well by me.

The recipe calls for 1 cup rice flour and makes 6 muffins- so that is .66g fiber and .33g fat from the rice flour

I used coconut milk, which has a bit more fat but healthy fats. Low fat milk works as well.

Heat oven to 425

Savory: 

1whole egg

3/4 cup low fat milk or coconut milk or almond milk ( I used coconut in sweet version and low fat milk in savory both work)

2tbs coconut oil ( or any kind of healthy oil) can be omitted

1 cup white rice flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp salt

Mix everything in large bowl I used a spatula mixes easily

Let rest 2-5 minutes scoop into 6 lined muffin tin. Bake 17 minutes until top is a bit firm to touch center is moist not wet. 

Sweet

1whole egg

3/4 cup low fat milk or coconut milk or almond milk ( I used coconut in sweet version and low fat milk in savory both work)

2tbs coconut oil ( or any kind of healthy oil) can be omitted

1 cup white rice flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp salt

2tsp vanilla

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips 

Mix everything in large bowl I used a spatula mixes easily

Let rest 2-3 minutes scoop into 6 lined muffin tin. Bake 17 minutes until top is a bit firm to touch center is moist not wet. 

Enjoy 

- JVW

Apple spice cake

I recently purchased Against all Grain's cookbook, it is amazing! It's truely clean, delicious, easy, healthy recipes. Her philosophy and ideas are in sync with my own. I wish more GP'ers would try her style of clean, gluten free eating. Eating fresh, clean and gluten free makes a tremendous difference in my daily life and managing this illness. 

I love baking and playing around with recipes and ideas. Her Apple Spice Cake ( at againstallgrains.com) popped out at me as a wonderful Sunday cake option. Go to her website and check out the original it looks incredible! I edited this recipe to make it GP friendly so I could enjoy it with my family. Thus far it seems to be sitting well with my digestion. I had 1/8 of the cake for mid day snack.

For the cake
2-1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey, melted
2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup egg whites
4 crispy apples (recipe called for Gala) peeled, cored, sliced

For the cinnamon swirl
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

- mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, in a smaller bowl mix eggs, egg whites, melted honey, vanilla 

Add to dry ingredients  stir until well combined and fold in apples. 

Pour into a non stick round pie pan, I lightly sprayed mine with coconut oil cooking spray.

Mix cinnamon swirl in a small dish and spread out on top, using a toothpick swirl it into batter. 

Bake 350 until toothpick comes out clean, took mine 30 minutes. 

Let cool and enjoy!

Happy Sunday

-JVW

Banana berry oatmeal smoothie

I have been playing around with filling (but not heavy) easy breakfast options. Overnight oats use to be my favorite go to option. But I don't tolerate them well anymore. 

I know oats are not technically GP friendly but when the serving size is cut down and you watch your fiber intake per day they can be! I use fitness pal app or note pad and paper. 

I found pre cooking my oats 1 cup water to 1/2 cup oats for 6 minutes then making overnight oats makes them a lot easy for me to digest.

I pre stew and strain my fruit in batches as part of my meal prep every week or two and freeze them. 

For this smoothie I used 

1 banana ,110 calories 0 fat, 3G fiber 

11/2 cups low fat coconut milk, 45 calories per cup, 4 g fat per cup, 1g fiber per cup.

1 cup stewed fruit berries. Depends on berries. 

11/2 cups cooked oats, 200 calories, 5g fat, 6 g fiber but it's divided by three servings. 

Blend on high for 1.5 minutes seperate into three containers and refrigerate.

They last for three days so it's worth the prep to have three breakfasts or snacks ready to enjoy!  Each under 150 calories! And oh so satisfying 

Enjoy

- JVW

Happy 2014

I can not believe it is a new year! 2013 was filled with wonderful and tough memories. We had great year with the girls, 9, 4, 2 are great ages. I turned 30 and we celebrated our annivesery with our first solo overnight in Saratoga NY without kids. A great family beach camping trip, making our own maple syrup, getting chickens, having a huge garden, list goes on. In all the fun was also months of stomach pain, vomiting, weight loss, ER visits, tests, more tests and more tests followed by stomach surgery in September. Since then I have been discovering and experimenting with what works and doesn't work for me and my stomach. I have also been trying to gain some  strength  and gain weight back. we are also trying to gain some sort of new normalize for me and my family. I hate them seeing me sick. 

Having had made it through the rough four months and out of surgery has made me feel so incredible blessed. I never felt closer, more trusting, more in love with my husband who has been so incredibly strong and loving and an amazing advocate for me. My girls who rallied, and went above and beyond to be helpful, kind, gentle and caring to me during my recovery. My step mother who dropped everything to be here with us when I got released from the hospital and my dear friend Davin who left her life in Boston for a few days to be here for me and take care and love on and spoil my little ladies. 

Family and friends are really what makes my life go round.

It's ironic how having GP can turn your world upside down and seem like the worst when in reality it not. Especially mine in comparison to others suffering. I pray mine stays manageable through out the years and that with more education, medical advancements and strict diet I can manage without further surgery or devices.

I am planning on doing a lot more reading and self discovery on the diet aspect of this disease. 

The basic food information out there seems bit ridiculous  to me, why isn't gluten eliminated, sugar, chemicals, over processed foods? A lot of the pain medicine that is subscribed has the side effect of slowing an already healthy  stomach imagine what it does to our already slow stomachs?! My stomach has always operated better on less processed foods. So why is white bread and jello packs recommended? I have yet to find an excellent source of recipes and research. I find a lot of Paleo recipes could work if altered slightly. They are a lot cleaner then most GP recipes I have found.

I will try and keep up with blogging recipes I find that seem to work well for me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, healthy, happy and love filled 2014! 

- JVW