See that? That there is what I was just downstairs making in my crock pot. Soon it will be Split Pea Soup. My friend Amy gave me some left over ham & a shank & I looooooooooooooove me some ham (it's not organic, but it was FREE).
I have lost a lot of weight since Lyme Disease. Look at a picture of me a year ago & I almost look "chubby". I was about 118 lbs on average. Now I struggle to stay above the 100 mark. I am 5' 2", one pound on me is significant. I am back up to 101 & I want to go back to the 103 I had worked so hard to get to. 110 lbs is my ideal weight. But I also have lost a lot of muscle mass. I'm not able to walk as much, run around with my dogs, or ride my bicycle. Let alone work out.
Besides the Lyme Disease, I think part of the reason for the weight loss is a strict diet that my LLMD put me on. She feels it's important if you want to recover. It has a lot to do with the immune system & the bacteria that is Lyme Disease. I am supposed to be gluten, casein, soy, & sugar free. Supposedly, the lyme bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) "feeds" off of sugar. That would explain my intense sugar cravings the entire month before my diagnosis. It was crazy. Hubby would run out late at night to get me a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or Cold Stone Creamery ice cream that I just HAD to have. Not normal for me. I've never craved chocolate until Lyme Disease. So now I have to starve the bacteria of what it wants. SUGAR. I use organic agave nectar or Stevia to sweeten things if I need to. And I avoid all juices (except to take my Artemesia & Clove drops) and the only fruits I eat are Granny Smith apples , freeze dried apples, and berries. All ORGANIC. Most of what I eat is organic. As pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc are not good for your immune system. I try to only eat GRASS FED meats & FREE RANGE chicken & eggs. Ideally, my doc would like me to stay away from egg yolks (highly allergenic) but I don't get enough food as it is.
Another big thing that I've noticed with Lyme Disease sufferers is that the majority of them are GLUTEN-FREE. My doctor highly advises this as well. Reason being is that since gluten can cause an allergic reaction, it can lower your immune system function. It is very hard to be gluten free but I stick to it. I mean, I think I have cheated 3 times in the past 3 months and it was all around Christmas time.
Today I stumbled upon a website/blog that has some awesome gluten free recipes that I am dying to try out. Not only is it gluten free, but she also uses agave nectar! She uses blanched almond flour. I need to get me some of that!! She is also having a contest where you can win her cookbook & a 5 lbs bag of the almond flour! Here is the blog/website: http://www.elanaspantry.com/cookbook
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