K's personal health journey (members read only): Smart Food Choices that Improve Your Health & Life

[Kätzchen]

This Bar Saves Lives

I recently found nutritional bars, chock full of seeds and veggies : They're gluten free, and in some cases, some bars have limited sugar impacts. They come in a variety of flavors: PB&J, Maple Pecan, S'mores Blast, Blueberry & Pistachio, Dark Chocolate & Cherry, and the best one of all, IMO, is the collagen DEFENSE bites, which are filled with nutrients to help build up your immune system by incorporating Tumeric powder, Strawberry, Ginger and Honey. I couldn't find pictures of them on the web, but the website will provide pictures and product information.

They're pretty yummy and I buy them by the boat load so I can have some sort of silent hand in making sure compromised communities of children have access to nutritious food that obviously will save their lives.

And of course, as a adult, it's saving my life too.









From their website: FAQ's

How does this bar save lives?

It's simple. Every time you make a purchase, you send life-saving food to a child in need. That means that when you buy one of our classic snack bars, for example, then you're also sending a packet of life-saving food to one of our international NGO partners. Those partners then deliver that life-saving food to children who need it most, anywhere from Haiti to Somalia and beyond

Do you help kids in the US?

Yes! We’re committed to helping children thrive all over the world, including in our local communities. We have worked with Feeding America to provide healthy meals through their food pantries all over the US. To date, we have provided over 275,000 meals to Americans in need.

Product Information:

Our snack bars are Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten free, kosher, and ridiculously delicious. Our kids bars are made without nuts, free of the top 8 allergens, and they have fruits and veggies that your kids won't even taste! Our collagen bites have a variety of ingredients with different nutritional benefits, visit our collagen bites page to learn more!

[Kätzchen]

It was back in March of 2018 that I consciously made the decision to stop consuming any food products which elevate a person's natural blood sugar levels. I stopped eating any dairy products; I stopped eating bread products; I stopped eating certain rice and pasta products; because the aforementioned food product choices were elevating my blood sugars, due to mobility issues I have faced since November of 2016.

At any rate, since excising dairy, bread, rice and pasta and any food that converts readily into sugar (glucose) in the blood stream, and sticking to a Whole Foods and Plant Based Diet, I have lost over 75 pounds since March of 2018. At first I lost nearly ten pounds per month. But nearly a year later, after my body acclimated to the Whole Foods Plant Based Diet, I still find I am losing weight slowly -- just not as rapidly as in the beginning, when I first decided to not partake of foods that put my health at greater risk for diabetes.

I still take half a tiny tablet of Glipizide, as well as Losartan (for blood pressure). I also take an prescription strength dose of Vitamin D (10K units, once per day).

My physical transformation has really impressed close friends. So much so, that my sister-in-law now buys the quarterly Forks Over Knives magazine, which teaches people how to cook delicious meals, which some recipes take less than an hour to make - others, like say, making your own nut milk or nut based yogurt or such, take a couple of days to produce. Overall, it's a healthier way to consume plants and plant-based food products with relative ease of time and cost. Investing in ones own health is a rewarding process because you eventually see positive physical results which stays with you as long as you daily commit to put your health first.

I was just sitting here, watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel episodes on my sister-in-law's TV, and browsing the latest issue of Forks Over Knives Magazine and there are some awesome easy-to-make, do-it-yourself recipes for breakfast or dinner or even for a take-to-work lunch. Which definitely saves you time and money because who can get a fabulous lunch or dinner on quick notice, when you might not have a lot of time to dine out or go get take-out?

Here are some of the recent menu ideas I found for breakfast bowls: Quinoa with chocolate and freshly slices pears; Tamale-in-a-bowl (polenta or grits with avocado, fresh salsa and black beans); I Heart Cherries (hot kasha cereal with hemp hearts and frozen cherries and a splash of almond milk); Oatmeal Lemon pancakes with Raspberry Date syrup; Banana Buckwheat pancakes with blueberries and other sliced fresh fruit toppings; Sweet Potato Pancakes with Strawberry Gazpacho sauce.

Here are some dinner menu ideas: Quinoa Burrito Bowls with Strawberry Salsa; Buffalo Cauliflower Pockets; Sweet Corn Tostadas; Chana Gobi soup (which is Hindi for chickpeas and cauliflower) spiced with Indian spice blends that they teach you how to make; Thai Spring Noodle Soup; Middle Eastern Quinoa Bowls with Vegetables; Spinach Apricot Salad with Spiced Lentils; and... Cauliflower and Black Bean Burritos -- which I want to pair off with a homemade Peach & Pear Chutney.

Anyhoooo…… my sister-in-law and I take turns buying the latest issue of "Forks Over Knives" magazine, but what I want to do - and it's on my wish list- is to buy the cookbook. Both the quarterly magazine edition and the cookbook has awesome recipes and photos of what each meal looks like. I buy the magazine at a local book seller that has the best price (sometimes it's Barns and Noble, sometimes I find a good price at Powell's).



Here's to better health and wellness for all,
Cheers

[Amulette]

I never found myself attracted to Kombucha until a friend brought over a big bottle to share. My first thought was BLEH another good for you moldy thing. Once I got over that it was really quite refreshing and I do like bubbly things. Actually it tasted really good. Making it is all the rage and I do believe I will try it. Especially if I can do it with herbs and things, I find that a bit exciting. *twinkles*

How to Flavor How to Flavor Kombucha & 3 Herbal Recipes

[Kätzchen]

Hi there,

I cannot advocate any Kombucha product (home made or commercially made) because I had an allergic reaction to it, which landed me in the hospital.

I know it's branded as a health product that is saturated with probiotic potential, but there isn't any way I'd ever advocate utilizing this type of food product for any way to improve ones health. It didn't improve mine, at all.

My doctor explained further to me, once I recovered and followed up by seeing her after being hospitalized, that Kombucha is primarily made from fermented yeast, sugar and it basically not a stable product to consume for health purposes. I've even done my own random research about this type of health drink and it's got mixed reviews not only by consumers who have used it, but also by the medical community (western based or naturopath based practitioners) who are highly reluctant to put any official seal of approval on it because side effects can range from severe reactions to basically harmless but with no real way to measure toxic side effects among humans who consume this so-called health product.

I appreciate the post you made, but consuming Kombucha will not be something I ever consume -- for my own health.

Thanks again for your post,

K.

[nycfem]

I've never had Kombucha (but certainly know of it), but your story reminded me of a natural health trend that I had a bad reaction to many years ago which was goji berries! I started having them every morning and getting bad stomach cramping, and it took me awhile to figure out that it was the goji berries! Then recently I took iron supplements because I had my iron tested as part of my physical and it came out low, so I thought I could correct it with supplements. I never knew how dangerous it is to get too much iron until the excess supplements made my level too high, and I got quite sick for a long time. Health is a complicated beast!

[Amulette]

Originally Posted by nycfem

I've never had Kombucha (but certainly know of it), but your story reminded me of a natural health trend that I had a bad reaction to many years ago which was goji berries! I started having them every morning and getting bad stomach cramping, and it took me awhile to figure out that it was the goji berries! Then recently I took iron supplements because I had my iron tested as part of my physical and it came out low, so I thought I could correct it with supplements. I never knew how dangerous it is to get too much iron until the excess supplements made my level too high, and I got quite sick for a long time. Health is a complicated beast!

I agree it is complicated, and there are so many opinions about what is best. It's good that you listen to your body, I'm coming to believe that is the most reliable source. I hope you are all past the iron adventure and that you feel really good!

[ksrainbow]

I was introduced to this supplement mixed with almond and then coconut milk as a daily meal supplement. I was given a 7 day meal trial and am not certain I can commit to the cost. Overall I liked the taste and result of being *full*.

Have any of you tried it and if so may I ask for your experiences pro/con?

Ks-

[nycfem]

Originally Posted by Amulette

I agree it is complicated, and there are so many opinions about what is best. It's good that you listen to your body, I'm coming to believe that is the most reliable source. I hope you are all past the iron adventure and that you feel really good!

Thank you, I AM feeling really good right now, but it took a few months to heal! I agree with you that listening to our bodies is key.

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by nycfem

I've never had Kombucha (but certainly know of it), but your story reminded me of a natural health trend that I had a bad reaction to many years ago which was goji berries! I started having them every morning and getting bad stomach cramping, and it took me awhile to figure out that it was the goji berries! Then recently I took iron supplements because I had my iron tested as part of my physical and it came out low, so I thought I could correct it with supplements. I never knew how dangerous it is to get too much iron until the excess supplements made my level too high, and I got quite sick for a long time. Health is a complicated beast!

I once had a client who tried to convince me that Goji berries was helping her to lose weight (It was a major ingredient in some health care scheme business, she was involved in), but she had a massive rash all over her face and down her arms. She was experiencing a distressing health reaction to the Goji berries, but it never occurred to her that eating them was causing her allergic reaction. She eventually ended up in the hospital. Weeks later when I saw her, she told me how it scared her so much and that it was like a wake-up call, like placing a reality check on her situation.

I have to say, had I not ended up in the hospital due to the allergic reaction to Kombucha, I would not have believed it could make me so sick.

I'm really glad you've recovered from the iron supplement thing. I was worried for you, due to stuff like that happening to me too.

You're so right tho, health is a complicated beast!

[Amulette]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Hi there,

I cannot advocate any Kombucha product (home made or commercially made) because I had an allergic reaction to it, which landed me in the hospital.

I know it's branded as a health product that is saturated with probiotic potential, but there isn't any way I'd ever advocate utilizing this type of food product for any way to improve ones health. It didn't improve mine, at all.

My doctor explained further to me, once I recovered and followed up by seeing her after being hospitalized, that Kombucha is primarily made from fermented yeast, sugar and it basically not a stable product to consume for health purposes. I've even done my own random research about this type of health drink and it's got mixed reviews not only by consumers who have used it, but also by the medical community (western based or naturopath based practitioners) who are highly reluctant to put any official seal of approval on it because side effects can range from severe reactions to basically harmless but with no real way to measure toxic side effects among humans who consume this so-called health product.

I appreciate the post you made, but consuming Kombucha will not be something I ever consume -- for my own health.

Thanks again for your post,

K.

I'm so sorry you had that reaction Kätzchen. It must have been pretty scary. I wonder if you are sensitive to other fermented products?

I know that Kombucha is a very ancient drink, and that I liked it. Beyond that I can't defend it's benefits. Mere intrigue especially with the herbal additions. It seems like making a magic potion and that makes my witchy side tingle.

It is interesting how we all react differently to different foods. Myself I'm allergic to eggs, and wheat, along with many beans. I don't do great with grains. It really takes a chunk out of food choices. I seem to do best with a Paleo-ish diet. I do poorly on a vegetarian-diet which I tried and tried for years. Grains and beans, are yummy but not for my tummy.

Here's to our health and knowing what our particular bodies want and need! May it be easy

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Amulette

I'm so sorry you had that reaction Kätzchen. It must have been pretty scary. I wonder if you are sensitive to other fermented products?

I know that Kombucha is a very ancient drink, and that I liked it. Beyond that I can't defend it's benefits. Mere intrigue especially with the herbal additions. It seems like making a magic potion and that makes my witchy side tingle.

It is interesting how we all react differently to different foods. Myself I'm allergic to eggs, and wheat, along with many beans. I don't do great with grains. It really takes a chunk out of food choices. I seem to do best with a Paleo-ish diet. I do poorly on a vegetarian-diet which I tried and tried for years. Grains and beans, are yummy but not for my tummy.

Here's to our health and knowing what our particular bodies want and need! May it be easy

Thanks for leaving your posts in this thread and sharing your perspective on what you feel is important for you. Best wishes to you, --K.