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Tag Archives: Whole foods
my liver is happy again!
Hello everyone, sorry it’s been so long since my last post (although I did make a point of saying how I’m being gentler on myself and that includes putting study, fitness, family and friends first before this blog … not that I don’t highly value you all, but I’m sure you can appreciate the pace of life and needing to prioritise. I’d be a pretty shocking role model if I was telling all of you to look after yourselves and yet running myself into the ground wouldn’t I?).
Anyways, for today, my pharmacology assignment can wait (I’ve only got 400 words to go and I may or may not be procrastinating … it’s a pretty heavy report and I’m brain-dead just thinking about it) and besides …I’ve got some news to share! Guess who’s liver is basically 100% regenerated and only has a bit of scar tissue remaining that will peel off over time? ….. MY LIVER that’s who’s!!!!!!!!!
As most of you know, in December 2010, when I was 14, I was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease of the liver and there were times where it seriously looked like I needed to have a transplant. Just over 5 years later and 7 months before my 20th Birthday, I can proudly say that I’ve turned this illness around beyond what was ever expected. I was one of those “you’ll be on medication for the rest of your life” cases (and as you know this did NOT sit well with me).
I was told by my well-meaning doctor that there was nothing that I could do when it came to food/lifestyle, other than abstaining from alcohol (and let’s be honest I was 14 … it wasn’t like I’d even reached an age where I drank on a regular basis … mum may have made me some sneaky rum and cokes at home but that’s as wild as it got). I couldn’t accept this though, and went in search of anything and everything sans the medication that would improve the state of my liver (and this was a time where I was deliriously clueless about nutrition … we’re talking about a sadly manipulated young girl that thought flora proactive was healthier than pure butter and that “wholegrain” breakfast cereals were “healthy options” … I had a lot of learning to do).
It took me a year and a half to actually understand what “healthy” was. It also wasn’t until this point that the ridiculously high dosage of medications I was on began working. As soon as I got onto whole foods and ditched the processed breakfast cereals (even if they were “wholegrain”), muesli bars, flavoured milks and questionable frozen yoghurts the improvement in my liver function tests were amazing. At this point I wasn’t even gluten or sugar free … but I was mostly eating real food and my body was responding exceptionally well to all the subtle changes.
By the time I made the decision to give up all refined sugars, food additives, modern wheat, vegetable oils and GMO foods (it can take a while to understand just how many things these guys are in … as well as why they’re necessarily bad for you) my liver was consistently improving in leaps and bounds. Then I added a St Mary’s thistle supplement and boom … my blood tests were in the “normal” range!
I was loving my new diet (I mean banana pancakes for breakfast, chicken and mango salad for lunch, crispy salmon for dinner, and snacks of bliss balls and fruit with nut butter … who’s going to complain about that?) and, liver aside, I noticed that I was a happier, more resilient person when I wasn’t weighed down with refined carbohydrates and processed trans fats, that I’d unknowingly been consuming in what I like to call my “past life”.
As I’m sure you’ve either heard on a podcast or read in my “transitioning to whole foods” series, everything was a transition and I’ve never stopped learning or evolving things. Ever since I made the decision to heal with food and environment, I’ve had this inner voice telling me that I can do it … guess this intuition was right!
The point of this little rave … your doctors are amazing … and when you’re in a crisis they know just the pill that will save the day (I don’t think the medication would’ve worked without me changing my diet, but I also don’t reckon the diet would’ve worked (initially) without the medication being there to prevent autoimmune flare ups). However it’s just not in their training to expect alternative therapies (such as nutrition) to assist in the healing process. So if you find yourself in some hot water (or preferably before then guys … prevention is so much easier than cure!), don’t be afraid to trust your instincts and clean up your lifestyle … even if a professional with years of clinical experience laughs you off.
So here’s to the power of food as a medicinal option in it’s own right (you can’t see but I’m holding up a bottle of coconut water in celebration as I finish this post). And here’s to autoimmune hepatitis … for scaring me enough to change my world for the better (I clearly needed a good ass-kicking … let this be a lesson to you all … wake up and kick your own ass to make the change before autoimmunity strikes you down!).
Yours in medication-free clarity,
Rachie xxx
Comforting chicken, cabbage and kale bowl
This is comfort food taken to the next level A delicious recipe that fits in nicely with a ketogenic diet, GAPS (stage 4 I believe), grain-free, paleo, sugar-free, dairy-free (well, it uses ghee but lots of dairy-free peeps don’t react to ghee as it is pure butter fat; minimal lactose or casein. You could always use coconut oil, tallow, lard, chicken or duck fat), soy-free, nut-free, egg-free. Have I missed anything?
Cinnamon and Vanilla Cupcakes
I’ve had so many positive comments about my favourite GAPS muffins lately. Thanks to everyone who has given them a go and loved them. When I made this variation the other day, I knew I just had to share the recipe.
Let the good times roll
I’ve been posting way too much about parasites and ketosis lately and I figured it was time for a post that is just breezy, fun and doesn’t involve any “poo” talk (which for me really is quite a stretch but I’m up for the challenge). So I thought I’d write about my recent trip away to Queensland and give you all a peek at some sneaky snaps from my time up here (I leave on Sunday Morning).
My go-to ketogenic meals
Oh hello there. You’ve found some very old content. Please read the disclaimer on this page before thinking I’m still a total sheep who has been sucked into a bone-broth worshipping fad diet. Been there, learned from that and am now a much less rigid human.
In this post I talked about why for me and where my health is up to, I’ve decided to undertake a ketogenic diet. The response from you guys, wanting to know more, telling me your families are also eating this way for a short period of time, has prompted me to collate my go-to ketogenic meals, to demonstrate that Ketosis isn’t all doom, gloom and sweet butternut pumpkin deprivation.
With an open mind, ketosis needn’t be a psychological burden. If I, a girl whose favourite foods include pumpkin, sweet potato and buckwheat, can survive the low-carb life long enough to rid herself of candida, there’s hope for almost anyone, right?
Hard Core Healing: Taking GAPS to the next level
Oh hello there. You’ve found some very old content. Please read the disclaimer on this page before thinking I’m still a total sheep who has been sucked into a bone-broth worshipping fad diet. Been there, learned from that and am now a much less rigid human.
Post edited August 2016 to refine some points made. I’ve learned a lot and evolved my outlook since January and don’t want to mislead anyone.
It’s been a while since GAPS posts. Christmas, New Years, Travel, work, enemas, all have been taking up lots of time. On that last note – enemas – let’s dive right in to how I’ve stepped GAPS up a notch.
Continue reading Hard Core Healing: Taking GAPS to the next level
Lemongrass and Ginger Turkey and Vegetable Medley
To start of the year, I’d like to share this recipe that I came up with last night. What happens when there’s only three people in your family and the organic turkey that you order is 3.8kg??? You have LOTS of leftovers!
Continue reading Lemongrass and Ginger Turkey and Vegetable Medley
Where to from here?
After a full year of inching closer to a whole foods lifestyle, I was feeling pretty content with the dramatic change in not only my eating patterns but also in my overall health. However, I knew I still had a way to go. I was significantly underweight and still prone to bloating, gas and indigestion. I knew that there must be more that I could do with food, but I was confused as to where to head next. I mean, there were so many options to choose from and so many anecdotes claiming that vegan, no paleo, wait … hang on vegetarian, or perhaps blood type or … and …but etc. etc. was the way to go.