His Father's Day

After years of suffering, thousands of dollars spent on tests and several doctor's opinions, our family doctor of the last decade may have finally discovered the silent cause behind all of my husband Paul's ailments.

To list a few....

• Inflammation of skin & joints
• Irritation of skin / Unexplained rashes
• Instant heartburn after eating 
• Bloating
• Fatigue (which he didn't notice he had until after treatment started, when fatigue subsided)

There are more things he suffers from (nerve damage, chronic back pain, etc) but those are due to a condition called Tethered-Spinal Cord Syndrome, something that is usually discovered in the early, toddler years of life, and not at the age of 35, which was Paul's case. 

Her discovery comes after she has realized food allergens that she, her husband and children suffer from, and since noticing positive changes after they all began special diets and taking supplements, she has been leaning toward more natural approaches in her practice with her patients. 

We're loving this transition. 

She told us about something called the Leaky Gut. { it sounds horrid, I know }

But it is rather fascinating once you start reading about it, and it has become clear to me that many probably suffer from this and haven't a clue! 

Millions could find relief by changing just a few diet habits, taking some supplements and avoiding too much yeast, perservatives, bleached flours and foods high in sugars, or refined sugars. 

We'll talk more on this later { look for a series of posts to document our new journey in defeating Leaky Gut } .... but this leads me right into this post and will give more understanding into exactly why Paul is on a new diet. 

She ran an in depth test on him and discovered his body is allergic to certain things, most likely causing the various agitations he suffers from.  

So she wants him to do a 6 week trial of eliminating those things. After which, once we can get his body balanced and free from all of these things his body deems as toxins, he can surely enjoy these things in moderation.

But for now this means.... 

No Wheat

No Rice

No Yeast {no beer}  :'(

No Refined Sugar

No High Levels of Sugar {no fruit}

No Crab 

No Cranberries

No Sesame Seeds (or oil) 

No Sunflower Seeds

Paul is the Cook of the household, and basically ALL that is mentioned above was pretty much the jest of our diet up until a few weeks ago.



~Which brings us to his Father's Day~


We tend to only get each other gifts that are more thoughtful and less materialistic when it comes to any occasion, so this Father's Day it only seemed natural to make a trip to the local nutritional shop and purchase items that can help alleviate the changes in his diet, which can effect a person & their quality of life in their day-to-day {especially one who cooks!} more than you'd think. 

For him to be able to go to the pantry and grab a bag of pasta noodles to make his delicious chicken Alfredo without having to cringe at the thought of knowing that, while the rest of the family will be enjoying the full meal with noodles, he will only be able to enjoy the chicken and the sauce.... His spirit is bound to avoid feeling a little broken.

To add to this thoughtful gift, the only thing that could make it better is if his lovely wife {muah} conquered the rare feat of making a meal for HIM rather than he making one for me. :)


So, here we go.... 

Consensus:  Noodles made with both
CORN & QUINOA are a bit more "crumbly" in texture.
Noodles made with only CORN better imitate
the standard pasta noodle.

The store had a variety of noodles, in fact... an entire isle. 

After 30 minutes of reading labels, I came home with noodles made from solely CORN and noodles made with both CORN & QUINOA. (pronounced KEEN-WAH)

For this meal I chose the noodles made from both ingredients and set out to make a cold pasta salad for lunch.

Ingredients Used:

Lemon

Peppers

Broccoli

Olive Oil

Ginger

Cilantro

Chicken

I boiled the noodles, rinsed them with cold water to cool them and set

 aside, all the while the chicken was cooking.

Next, it was time for the dressing. 

About a 1/4 cup of Olive Oil, juice from half a lemon, about an inch of Ginger diced fine, lots of Cilantro {we LOVE cilantro!} & Salt and Pepper.... 

And WAH-LAH! Mmm... 

Toss it all together and BAM! 

A visually appealing and tastefully satisfying light & healthy lunch was achieved. 
As was a well fed and happy husband with a calmed soul, a warmed heart and a smiling face. 

MISSION COMPLETE.



This is only the beginning of this new adventure for us! 

Life is always ever changing, sure to give us new perspectives at every turn. 

It keeps things interesting and keeps us learning, that's for sure!

Stay tuned for more on Paul's new foodie-journey as we defeat all of his ailments in an effort to secure a more enjoyable quality of life for him. 

I love you, honey.
We WILL get through this.