Yummy in my Tummy

It's been a difficult couple of weeks on this new diet, trying to figure out what I can eat and making sure I have all of the ingredients that I need and making sure that foods settle well with my stomach. At first it was hard to get a variety of food because it's best to introduce new things slowly, that way you don't overwhelm your body and you also can keep better tabs on how different foods affect you.

However, a major concern for me has been making sure that I get enough calories. I've already lost a little weight in the past few months and this diet has made it a little difficult to gain it back. I started by making my yogurt out of whole milk and even half-and-half. I also added in almond flour. It may have been a little early for me to start eating this, but at the moment, my concerns for getting enough calories outweigh that.

I made some banana muffins last week which came out pretty good. I also tried making some cinnamon cookies. They came out alright, but I overlooked them a little and they're a little crunchier than I normally like my cookies.

So today, I decided to make another batch of muffins. I found a recipe on Amy McKenna's blog for lemon poppyseed muffins. I followed her recipe and added a honey/lemon glaze on top. And they are oh so good!! I'm having to exert a large amount of self-control to not eat the entire dozen. I try to keep my nut flour intake to about 2 muffins a day plus maybe a cookie at night. Plus, I need things like these to eat throughout the week. I've already eaten 2 this morning and I really want to go get another one. I may have to hide them from Jarrod!

SCD Lemon Poppyseed Muffins (from roboranch.com) with a Honey and Lemon Glaze

Muffins
3 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
1 Tbsp poppyseeds
3 cups almond flour

Glaze
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
A few drops of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to thoroughly combine eggs, honey, butter, baking soda, salt, and lemon juice.
Stir in lemon rind and poppyseeds.
Stir in almond flour, a cup at a time, to make a fairly thick batter.
Spoon batter into muffin cups.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, springy to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean.

Combine glaze ingredients. I just squeezed a few drops of lemon juice from the other half of my lemon.
Mix until thick.
Spread over cooled muffins.

And I am in heaven...

1 week later

I've been on this new diet for a full week now, and can I just say, What a week it's been! I knew this was going to be difficult, but it has been a really tough week. The first few days were so restrictive that I didn't even want to leave the house because the smell and thought of food was driving me crazy. But I went out to a restaurant for the first time this weekend (not eating, just visiting) and it went OK. I'm not going to lie, it was hard watching other people eat all of the foods that I'm craving, but smelling the food was actually nice. You can kind of pretend that you're getting to eat it! (Wow, that sounds pathetic)

I was wanting to do a slow introduction onto the diet, but I realize now that I don't think that will work for me. I don't know that I'm disciplined enough to take a couple of months before I actually have a range of food that I can eat. I do know some foods that are more difficult to digest, so I'm holding off on those for now. I've added in some fruits and veggies and an assortment of meats (grilled up some lamb chops yesterday, yum!). My "splurge" was picking up some colby jack cheese and fresh almond butter. I maybe should've waited a little longer, but like I said, if I didn't have something good soon, I was going to go crazy.

I also made myself a almond butter & banana milkshake today with homemade yogurt. The yogurt is pretty tart, but I added in some honey and that helped. I guess it's just something I'll have to get used to.

I've been obsessed the past few days with looking up recipe ideas that stay within the limits of the diet. The thing is, eating on this diet (once you're fully on it) isn't difficult. You can make some great meals and there are pretty good substitutes that you can find for almost anything (except chocolate... sad). It's really just the matter of being able to go out to eat. I know I've harped on this a couple of times now, but that's a pretty big deal for Jarrod and me because we love to go out to eat. I love getting dressed up and going somewhere nice and having someone else put together the meal (and clean it all up!). Now, going out to eat is mostly going to be for other people, and I'm just along for the ride. I am planning on making some calls to some of our favorite places to find out if their food will be alright. I'll have to stick with meats (without certain rubs and spices) and veggies and salads.

Well, I've gone through all of this and haven't even mentioned how I'm feeling. I'm still doing just OK. I was feeling better for a couple of days, but then started feeling a little worse. The hard part is that I don't know what's causing it. It could be symptoms from the diet cleaning out my system and flushing the toxins; it could be that I ate something that didn't agree with me and I should avoid in the future; it could be that the diet isn't working. I suppose I'll have to wait it out a little longer to see more results. I think also that my body is adjusting to not being on any major medication. Still waiting to see what my future holds in that area. But all in all, I'm still hanging in there and waiting to see where this all leads.

Why is every commercial about food?

Seriously! The day after I start an uber restricting diet, I'm watching a little nighttime TV before bed, and EVERY commercial is about food! Oh, and everyone's eating on the show, too! Is it always like this? Or is it like when you're playing the Alphabet Game in the car as a kid and you can't find a stupid 'J' and once you finally, there's a 'J' and every sign you pass??

In all seriousness now... my first couple of days on the new diet have not been the easiest, but honestly, it's not been the food that's been the problem. I starting getting a horrible headache on Sunday afternoon while my mom was helping me get food prepared and it lasted until sometime this afternoon. Along with that came some nausea which made a couple of the meals a little difficult, but I'm doing much better now.

The food really is not too bad. Just a little monotonous (and it's only day 2). For the next few days, my diet will continue to consist of eggs, homemade chicken soup, grape jello, and hamburger patties or fish. The first 5 days is meant to clean out the system and sort of start to "reset" things. From there, you can start adding in more veggies, meats, fruits, nuts, etc.

Once you get fully on the diet, there are lots of options, but it does take some time to get there. Plus, going out to eat is pretty much always going to be a bit of a hurdle. But I know this is going to be a healthy lifestyle choice, even regardless of my Crohn's. Healthier, all-natural foods instead of so much processed foods. I'm kind of excited about it.

Ok, seriously just saw Red Lobster, Campbell's Soup, Fiber One Bars, a commercial not for burgers, but with them in it, and General Mill's cereal all in one break.

The end of... something

Today is my final day of eating a "normal" diet. I start the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in the morning. I spent a good bit of the day cooking with my parents, getting prepared for this next step. I've got soup on the stove, "jello" in the fridge and some eggs and beef ready to be eaten.

I'm definitely a little nervous. This is a big change, but I'm working hard to be prepared. The foods listed above are what will constitute my diet for the next several days. Depending on how that goes, I'll soon start adding in some new veggies and meats and eventually fruits and nuts.

I'll update how the first days go and post some good recipes I come across. This is the end of this part of my life, but beginning of something bigger. I'm really looking forward to feeling better.