Fishmeal and oil kit and blood tests: an update on anti-inflammatories
If you told me five years ago since I gave up dairy products and to gluten, I would have laughed at you. And then I probably stuffed my face with crackers and cheese.
If you had told me this five months ago, I would have told you not to eat meat and to focus on whole foods as much as possible. That was enough, thanks.
(And yes. I probably stuffed my face with crackers and cheese.)
But, as I told you a few months ago, I did . I realized it was time to try something new, not because I felt like I was eating "bad" foods or because I wanted to lose weight or anything like that, but because I wanted to try a new way of treating my inflammatory issues.
I've been here since the end of January and thought I'd share a few things that make the transition a little easier, as well as what I've learned.
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Increase 0mega-3
Not only do I try to eat salmon very regularly, which usually means asking my husband to blacken a large fillet, but I also eat part of it for dinner and store the rest to be consumed cold during the week, as well as some salads; I also made sure to take my omega-3 supplement every morning. Coromega made it easy for me by sending me some bags of their Coromega Max Super High Omega-3 Squeeze Packs, which are really delicious. I look forward to it every morning: does it taste good and does it help me keep my omega-3/omega-6 ratio balanced? Even better.
Other simple things I've done are add chopped walnuts to my morning oatmeal (the texture is great) and incorporate chia and flax seeds into everything I can. Adding omega-3 fatty acids is truly one of the easiest changes I've ever made.
Choose a meal delivery service
Never I thought it would be someone who offered a weekly meal kit service. I mean, I like shopping and cooking; And who would take care of me with all my limitations? A friend recommended Hungryroot (which is 100% vegan and gluten-free) and it seemed like a good option. They use healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, almonds) and complex carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, cauliflower, quinoa) and are low in added sugars and low in sodium. Although the ingredients are chopped and in some cases mixed and seasoned, this essentially does the heavy lifting for me; I still prep and cook everything, but nothing takes more than 10 or 15 minutes.
In these areas, we always say, "Stand still," and this is my nod to that mantra. (If you prefer, you can also add chicken or shrimp to many of these meals. I find I add fresh avocado and hard-boiled eggs quite often.)
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Testing my current levels
I have always found it very, very difficult to measure improvements that are not easily quantifiable. For example, if I can measure range of motion or strength, that's one thing, but determining whether something makes me feel better or not... is extremely complicated for me.
(Although I did notice that my skin improved a bit almost immediately, especially in some areas around my mouth that have been acne-prone for a long time. Which is great, of course, except that my end goal is more like "I want to be able to lunge and yawn without pain" instead of "I want to save money on concealer."
I shared my diet plans with a chiropractor friend of mine and tried something similar and I was recommended a BrainSpan blood test that shows the omega-3 index (i.e. the percentage of EPA and DHA in my cells), the cellular inflammatory balance (ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 in cells) and the cellular toxic balance index (cellular palmitic acid level). Cognitive tests were also included, because all these values are not only potential indicators of painful inflammation, but can also influence cognitive function; This makes sense when you consider that the brain is made up of nearly 60 percent fat, most of which is omega-3 fatty acids.
Because of my nutritional history and pain, we expected my results to be terrible and I actually got a little excited because if I started with the following, that would give me plenty of room for improvement!
But it wasn't like that. In fact, when he saw my results, his response was, "Who tested you?" I've always gotten grades in the “excellent” range, which would normally make me jump for joy (because I LOVE getting good grades; gold stars are LIFE). ), but in this case… well, damn.
I'm still happy to have accepted; At least that tells me I'm doing a lot of things right and will continue to do so. Whether I'll give up gluten and dairy forever is up for debate, but the fact that I haven't succeeded and am immediately reaching for a bagel and a piece of cheese tells me a lot. If this way of eating were really difficult (or, frankly, just not fun), I definitely wouldn't be following it now.
I know not to do it. I don't think this will completely change anything. I mean, I don't miss my morning dose of omega-3 fatty acids, and my salmon salad lunches sure sound appealing. But I'm toying with the idea of reintroducing some dairy and gluten, especially when eating out. It's easier to think about it now that I know it won't be too difficult to get back to what I'm doing if it seems like a good idea.