Love and lupus

It can be very hard to open up to someone and tell him or her about your past. It can be even more difficult when there is a terminal illness in the mix. No matter how content you maybe with yourself, it can be very difficult to open up about a disease.

Dating for me as been ummmm a challenge. I took myself out the game for a minute to get to know me a little better. I needed to understand more about how I was feeling and the emotions I dealt with on a daily basis. I can officially say I’m ready to open up again. This time off I have learned a few tips that just about everyone can benefit from.

Just be honest: Any relationship you enter, the foundation must be honesty. Be honest about your intention with that person, issues, and past experiences. No I’m not saying let it all out on the first date but there needs to be some communication on the front end.

Open communication: No one can know how you’re feeling if you don’t say anything. I’ve learned this even with my Lupus. It’s important to be open and honest about your situation with any potential partner. There are days I can feel like crap (not look like it) and won’t say a word about it. The only way to get help is if you ask. “Have not, because you ask not.” Always stay open about how you’re feeling and thinking. It will make life so much easier.

Be patient: Give yourself and your date time to process all that’s taking place. Of course there is going to be a little hesitation in the beginning because there aren’t too many people that know anything about lupus. Explain in detail and let the rest happen in it’s own time. Remember the more questions, the better (it means they are interested).

Fear and anxiety are understandable; just don’t allow it to control you. Also don’t allow your insecurities to settle just because you’re tired of being single. Live, Love, Laugh 🙂

Health benefits of peaches

One of the main reasons I love the summer time is for the amazing juicy fruits like peaches. Not only do they taste amazing, but there are so many great benefits to them. There is a long list but here a just a few.

 

Weight Control
One large peach, about 2 3/4 inches in diameter, contains just 68 calories and no fat. Eating peaches instead of more fattening, processed snacks, such as chips, baked goods, cereal bars and cookies, can help you manage your weight. Peaches are naturally sweet and can replace some of the added sugars in your diet.

Vitamins

Peaches contain 10 different vitamins. Peaches contain vitamin A, important to healthy vision, vitamin C, an antioxidant and tissue-builder. Peaches provide lower levels of vitamins E and K. Vitamin E is another antioxidant, while vitamin K is essential to your body’s blood clotting capabilities. Peaches are also a source of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid

Minerals

A peach provides potassium, which can help you maintain healthy blood pressure as well as prevent kidney stones and bone loss. Peaches provide some magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, iron and calcium as well. These minerals work to support red blood cell, bone and nervous system health.

Antioxidants

One of the major antioxidants in peaches, chlorogenic acid, helps scavenge free radicals — compounds that your body acquires through exposure to pollutants, food and the environment — to reduce the effects of aging and deter chronic diseases. This antioxidant may also help ward off cancer and reduce body

Fiber

A large peach provides 17 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of which come from fiber. Fiber is essential to smooth and healthy digestion, preventing constipation and ensuring digestive health. Fiber may also play a role in regulating your cholesterol levels, helping to reduce your risk of developing heart disease. An adult woman should try to consume 25 g of fiber daily, and an adult man 38 g daily.

Peaches are a lot of great source of zinc, which has anti-aging properties. The consumption of zinc-rich foods such as peaches promotes the production of antibodies and inhibits the cellular damage caused by toxins. Peaches also interferes with the aging process of male reproductive organs by boosting the levels of the reproductive hormone testosterone in the body.

So next time you’re out grocery shopping, be sure to pick up a bag of peaches for yourself.

Resolutions

First I would like to start off by saying, THANK YOU.
To everyone that has taken the time to read my post, I REALLY appreciate you.
I never thought I would be doing anything like this, I am truly grateful for the support.
GREAT things are coming in the near future 🙂

I’m sure many of you have already started things of things that you want to improve on for the new year. I know for me, I’m working on writing more and working towards expanding my audience. I want to reach more people with my message about my vegan eating and putting out more info on Lupus.
The most common resolution has to be weight loss and fitness. Well, I think I can help in this area. If you haven’t heard, Urban Remedy is a great company that caters to organic, holistic eating. They provide many guidelines on juicing, vegan, and organic eating.
So if diet is one of your resolutions, check out the links below. I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
Be on the look out this upcoming year, I have a lot of projects that I am excited to start implementing 🙂

Urban Remedy LLC

food substitute

So if you really know me, you know I LOVE to eat. A few of my favorite dishes are made with rice, noodles, and pasta. With that I have to be mindful of how much of those items I consume because those foods are heavy in unhealthy starch. Starchy foods aide in inflammation, joint pain, and weight gain. So of course I had to come up with an alternative because I just couldn’t see myself not eating pasta anymore. I was reading a recipe one day that required rice but it wasn’t used. Instead the recipe used cauliflower instead. Lets just say I tried it, and loved it. All you need is a good knife to get the cauliflower fine like rice would be. It’s a little bit fluffier than rice but still just as good. Add a little salt for taste and you’re good to go.
Cauliflower is low in calories and high in nutrients. Here are a few benefits of eating cauliflower.
1. Antioxidant
Cauliflower is a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, which are both powerful antioxidants. With these antioxidants, you can be certain that eating cauliflower regularly will help protect you from free radical damage and reduce your risk for diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
2. Anti-Inflammation
Cauliflower also contains high amounts of vitamin K and omega-3 fatty acids, which help decrease inflammation. Potentially, regular cauliflower consumption can help decrease the risk of inflammation-mediated diseases such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease.
3. Cardiovascular
By decreasing chronic inflammation, cauliflower is able to maintain the patency of the blood vessels and keeps excellent blood flow to essential organs of the body.
4. Digestive
A cup of boiled cauliflower delivers about 3.35 g of dietary fiber, which helps clean your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances.
5. Nutritional
Cauliflower also contains vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine) and B9 (folic acid). It serves as a good source of proteins, phosphorus and potassium.
If cauliflower is still not your thing, try wild rice and black noodles. Both every tasty but still needs to be consumed sparingly. Try it out, you may just add another favorite to your meals. 🙂
What are some food substitutes that you use. Share 🙂

Taste The Rainbow

Ok, honesty time. So when I first decided to go vegan I didn’t know what I was doing. It was really hard for me because cheese and fish were the hardest foods for me to give up (I still kind of miss ice cream). As I started to do more research, I learned that eating a wide variety of colorful foods were all I needed in order to get the daily amount of nutrients into my body and to satisfy my cravings.

Since I have Lupus, I’ve always been concerned whether or not I was getting enough nutrients. Protein is one of the main concerns I had about switching to a vegan lifestyle. Once symptoms were eliminated, I knew then there was no need for those concerns. The difference in my skin, and overall health is very noticeable. AND I LOVED IT!!!

One thing I started doing more of was picking colorful peppers to cook with instead of just the green bell pepper. The red, orange, and yellow peppers are high in vitamins A, B6, C, and potassium. All these are very helpful factors to keeping Lupus symptoms to a minimum, and reducing medicine intake. Other colors like blue, purple, and deep red are high in antioxidants that aid in good heart health. With Lupus comes, pleurisy (inflammation of the heart and lungs) so eating plenty blueberries, red peppers, etc. will assist in eliminating those symptoms.

Following the color wheel of food has truly helped me with controlling my Lupus and keeping my weight balanced. Here are a few links that can explain more about “eating the rainbow.” Also two very helpful books By Any Greens Necessary by Tracye McQuieter http://byanygreensnecessary.com, and Food Cures (link below). There are many resources out there but these have really helped, hope you guys enjoy.

Resources:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/add-more-color-to-your-diet/?page=6

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cures-Readers-Digest-

http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/diet-nutrition/eating-the-rainbow-for-good-nutrition.aspx