Island travels + product review

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My recent Island family wedding not only filled me with joy, connected me with new friends, I was practically basking in warmth and love all weekend long. As an only child, I never got to watch the magic of siblings team work. Both the bride and the groom are from a large clan, the bride is one of 5 and the groom is one of 7. Impressive right? On the wellness angle, I'm going to relive how a trip away from the city refreshes us and how we can bring some of that getaway magic into our everyday lives? I also have a product review to share, discovering MCT oil powder from Perfect Keto was great for travels. So keep reading!

In this post, I'm going to dissect the magical weekend and break it down to how it gave me a better perspective on my healing progress through reconnecting with nature, foraging, and experiencing intuitive eating at it's best. My goal is to see if I can inject some of these elements into my day to day to keep me this machine of mine running smoothly after returning home. 

crushed shells beach and sea star

Put down the devices and turn on Nature

I know, we don't really need to turn "on" Nature, it's always there and around us, it's when we decide to turn it off because we're so consumed by technology that throws things out of balance. Remote areas can mean unreliable internet connections, which can be a good thing when you're trying to unplug. Recently I went to a wedding on one of the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Galiano Island, since I had committed to enjoying my time without trying to work, I didn't stress about the shotty "connections". Funny thing is I found a different kind of connection that was running full force everywhere I looked. While on the island, I learned that simply by reconnecting with nature, I found fulfillment easily without social medias. Even being partially unplugged, I felt the freedom of not being tied to an invisible weight. During the day, we were out exploring the island, we walked along beaches, it was fascinating to see some were filled with crushed shells instead of the sand. I felt like a kid again jumping from rock to rock while trying not to step on the slippery seaweeds. It sure beats any "games" on the devices. Real life games are the best! One night, an 80 feet tree fell on my family's 20-acre property, so the next day, a few of us gathered and watched my cousin go to work.  He cut down the limbs to prep it for his freshly build band saw. Cracked me up when one of his sisters said, "... he's doing that just for a core workout." I can't decide which activity was my favourite, either watching the children play in a natural setting or my blackberries picking. I fully enjoyed soaking up nature's magic while basking under the sun, wading in the ocean, and roaming in the woods. How can I inject more nature into my city living? Being on the Westcoast, it's actually not that hard, the tricky part is the distraction from the device. A little trick I use now is set most of the apps on my phone to use Wifi only, adding that extra step to connect to the internet when I'm out will encourage me to explore my surroundings and enjoy the present betters.

Directions

Eat more fat and skip meals got me to remission - One year Nutritional Ketosis update

 > This post contains Affiliate or Referral link, please see Disclaimer

Even with my UC symptoms slowly subsiding, I was still denying my health was returning. I hung on the old habit of spotting public bathroom while I was out even when my tummy was nice and calm. I guess it takes a long time to shed the insecurities of a sick body and embrace the health most people take for granted. It's been one year since I added Nutritional Ketosis to my wellness equation. By teaching my body to use fat as fuel,  I was able to bring my Ulcerative Colitis to full remission. There, I said it! The improvements I noticed in my health include mental clarity and stable energy throughout the day, in other words, I feel pretty darn amazing. In this update, I'll be talking about how I'm diving deeper into my keto practice with intermittent fasting and how intuitive eating helps me find balance that led me to the improvements mentioned above. 

Intermittent Fasting

If you start researching about the ketogenic healing approach, sooner or later you will come across the talk about intermittent fasting. Like most people, it took me a long time to warm up to the idea of not eating to help heal the body. This was also triggering memories of UC flare up where I was forced to fast because everything I ate or drank hurt. Even as weak as I was from fasting, I remembered that the bowel rest made me feel better. At that time, I chalked it up to the much needed rest for my raw gut helped my body focus on healing instead of digesting foods,  but there is actually more to that. When I learned this funny sounding word Autophagy "... a housekeeping role in removing misfolded or aggregated proteins, clearing damaged organelles, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and peroxisomes, as well as eliminating intracellular pathogens. " through my research, I was fascinated by how smart our bodies are designed. This " biological process ... plays a key role in your body’s ability to detoxify, repair, and regenerate itself" In plain English, our own self clean system!

If you want to read more about autophagy, click HERE or HERE

I eat when I'm hungry instead of for other emotional reasons; 

boredom, stress or thirst. 

So how does Intermittent Fasting fit so perfectly into my schedule and lifestyle? As I experimented with Intermittent Fasting ( IF), I found that I was able to carry out my day with longer periods in between meals. First I started with early dinners and late morning brunches with no snacks in between, then I found I could power straight through to lunch effortlessly. The next transition came when I just didn't feel hungry until late afternoon. Now, most of the days I would enjoy an evening feast with nutrient dense foods like my favourite meat dish, my must have giant salad, sometimes two, and a side of cooked vegetables with healthy servings of good fats of course. That's it. I feel like a Queen with no drama hanger in between. Initially, what motivated me to give IF a try was how it fit into my day. Back when I was still nervous about my unsettled gut especially shortly after I ate, I found that if I could fast during the day when I was most busy running around, I could enjoy my more elaborately prepared dinner at home where I would have no stress about finding a public bathroom.  That plan worked well for me so I stuck to it. Throughout the day, to make sure I keep well hydrated, I drink lots of fluids like noncaffeinated herbal teas.  AIP Bulletproof style Dandelion Chicory Coffee with a sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt to balance my electrolytes was one of my favourite.  I also discovered diluted Keto Lemonade sans the sweetener was refreshing for warmer days.  

Intuitive eating 

I have to admit, in the beginning of my IF, I was following my schedule so I don't mess up my routine. As I became more comfortable and confident in my new way of fueling my body, I loosened up the grip and learned about the art of intuitive eating. This doesn't mean I can go about being unprepared, it just means that if I needed to delay my food intake a bit longer, I wouldn't have a meltdown and crash. This also means that I eat when I'm hungry instead of for other emotional reasons; boredom, stress or thirst. It's a very empowering and freeing practice. 

Evidence of Improvement

Fueling my body with fat instead of sugar continues to hold first place in making my UC remission a reality. My bloodwork shows a drop in my Hemoglobin A1C from  5.5 to 5.1. It would make sense that by regulating my blood sugar, my mind was sharper and my energy remains stable throughout the day. You would think that since I wasn't eating as often as before, I'd crash sometime in the day, that's the beauty of using fat as fuel, once the body adapts, it can tap into the stored energy - body fat. 

Keto Tastebuds

You know when people go on any kind of eliminations diet like a sugar detox, all of a sudden their taste buds come alive, waking up from a deep sleep. Well, I have been experiencing that with ketosis. When refined sugar was initially removed from Paleo/ AIP, I had noticed a change in my taste buds. But eventually, I let the natural sugars from fruits and starchy root vegetables creep back in my diet. When I began my Keto journey, my sense of taste REALLY awakened. Did I miss the sweet taste at first?  Yes, but once the increase fat intake stepped in to help me feel more satiated, my cravings for sweets slowly went away. Lately, I've been having urges to chow down whole lemons like rinds and all, you know like how people eat kumquats? My husband's caramelized lemons on the BBQ might have started it or it could be from my current crush on Lemon Essential oils, either way, my sweet craving is pretty nonexistent. Instead, I crave for some lemon power on a spoonful of coconut "butter".  A tasty tart fat bomb is what this girl craves for now.

Nutritional Ketosis has definitely fine-tuned my body's natural healing senses. This way of eating has sharpened my thinking, improved my focus, uplifted my moods, and stabilized my energy, of course, I didn't forget the silencing of my Ulcerative Colitis. I love how my body feels being fat adapted, I feel more confident and stable in my ability to carry out my days without crashes. I'm finally at a place where my body is running like the magnificent machine it was designed to do. Like all protocols, there is no one size fit all, but I'm sure glad I found what works for my body. If you're still searching, hang in there, "Rome wasn't built in a day". Your body is great and it needs time and patient to nurture it. If you follow your intuition, you can find our personal protocol too. 

Here is my post from last year shortly after I started incoperated Nutritional Ketosis into my Paleo Autoimmune Protocol. 

For more interest on Nutritional Ketosis, Fat Fuel and Fasting, please refer to the following resources

Wahls Protocol
Healthful Pursuit
Dr. Jason Fung

My 3 steps to overcoming IBD Flares, Product Review + Coupon Code

photo by Luisa Koehler

>This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here to learn more what it means. 

The other day,  I was humbly reminded how IBD affects people of all ages and walks of life.  My friend's tween-age son has been struggling with Crohns for a few years,  in helping the family through confusing times,  I was motivated to sit down and write about healing my almost forgotten Ulcerative Colitis flares.  I am not trying to boast about my remission,  instead,  I wanted to emphasise even when the body has been dramatically affected by the chronic disease,  there is still hope in returning back to a state of health.  It is the body's main focus to repair and thrive. 

In this post,  I will share a few of my tips for overcoming IBD flares as Reduce Stress,  Sleep,  and Bowel Rest with Nourishment.  I hope some of these tips will resonate with fellow IBDers searching their way towards healthy bodies. 

Reduce stress   

Luckily,  by following a healing diet like Paleo Autoimmune Protocol ( AIP ),  I was already reducing some of the stress to my body from consuming inflammatory foods found in a Standard American Diet ( SAD).  However,  when it comes to lifestyle stress,  it was a bit more complicated.  Once I got a couple flares under my belt,  I could predict another looming around the corner by observing my elevated stress level.  Managing stress was one of the biggest hurdles against remission and now I make a conscious effort in putting Self Care on top of my to-do list to keep stress levels in check.  When I sensed my body become out of balance,  I reviewed my schedule to accommodate more down time.  Then,  I turned down unnecessary obligations and asked for help to maintain any essential duties as I focused on healing.  After all,  even as a caregiver,  what good am I to others when I was unwell.

Sleep

Most people assumes sleeping 8 hours is enough,  but when you are battling autoimmunity,  you will probably need more hours under the covers.  When I was in a flare,  I slept until my body told me to get up.  During my worst flare,  I could easily sleep 18 hrs and still be exhausted.  My days blended into nights,  but I listened to my body and sleep more.  Another way to rest beside being in bed was relaxing in an Epsom Salt bath.  At times,  I would alternate between the two to prevent bedsores and boredom.  Sometimes I found it hard to quiet the mind,  so I turned to meditation podcasts,  like Louise Hay, and Essential oils,  like lavender, to guide me into a more relaxed state.  To learn more about getting restful Sleep to support healing- check out Go to Bed by The Paleo Mom.

Bowel Rest with Nourishment

The idea of bowel rest came to me after my first preparation for colonoscopy,  instead of taking the recommended clear diet of sugary juices and Sports drinks,  I consumed my homemade bone broth, grass fed gelatin and coconut water.  To my surprise,  my flare symptoms subsided right after my scope.  I understood that as my digestion was given a break,  my body could focus on repairing my gut lining.  In regards to the duration of bowel rest,  I really had to listen to my body.  I also found it helpful to add fats,  like coconut oil,   in small tolerable increments to provide my body with extra  energy.  My bowel rest practice evolved as my body healed,  I was able to consume more variety of liquids.  This lead me to search for more easy to digest liquid nourishment options to fuel the body during this healing process.  While preparing bone broth is easy,  it can be time and energy consuming, especially when you are not well.  Grass Fed Collagen protein is still my favorite form of gut healing supplements to this day. Recently,  I was contacted by Primal Health and Nutrition regarding their unique Paleo and Autoimmune Protocol compliant line of products,  Paleo Perfection Protein.  Keeping my fellow IBDers in mind,  Paleo Perfection Protein may be a great option as a convenient periodic meal replacement or an easy to digest liquid nourishment in supporting bowel rest.  For those who are intolerant to common allergens,  Primal Health and Nutrition has made their product free of dairy, nuts, seeds, soy, corn and legume.  Comparing to the majority of protein supplements on the market,  Primal Health and Nutrition uses Grass Fed hydrolyzed beef ( aka. Collagen) as their protein source instead of whey.  With the addition of nutrient enhancing organic fruits and vegetable,  Paleo Perfection Protein offers a fuller body texture when comparing to other Collagens I have used before. Primal Health and Nutrition currently offers two flavours,  “Chocolate” Cherry Flavour,   which is made with carob instead of chocolate and a Natural flavour.  After testing their products,   I found the "Chocolate" Cherry Flavour a bit sweet ( with stevia) tasting for me.  By adding coconut milk/cream ( you may use any high-quality fat or your choice of tolerable “milk”),  I found the perfect balance in taste and richness in a cup I would gladly serve my children as a treat.  In fact, it was almost hard to believe this easy to make supplement is tasty,  guilt-free and AIP compliant.   Lastly,  I feel their prices are reasonable especially for the quality of the ingredients used. 

Although I still believe it is preferable to heal our bodies with real whole foods,  this product can provide a good alternative for a clean source of on-the-go protein supplement.  If you are on the AIP protocol,  I would suggest that you give this a go once you have gotten past the elimination phase and successfully re-introduced ingredients used in the product.

If you want to try Paleo Perfection Protein,  as my blog audience, you can save 20% off of the retail price.  Simply use coupon code "AFox"  to redeem your 20% off here ( Offer expires 12/31/2016 ).  

Below is how I made my taste testers ( aka. my kids) their cups of guilt free and nourishing hot "cocoa".  There was no surprise that they loved it. 

Makes 2 servings   Prep time 5 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 scoop Paleo Perfection Protein  - Natural
• 1 scoop Paleo Perfection Protein - Chocolate Cherry
• 1/2 c full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 c hot water
• a sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt

Optional: 1 Tablespoon MCT oil

Instructions

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend at low speed until smooth. Be careful when handling hot liquids. Enjoy. 

Use Coupon code "AFox" for 20% off retail prices  ( Offer expires 12/31/2016 )

Redeemable at here

In conclusion,  it was bittersweet to sift through faded memories of Ulcerative Colitis flares,  I remember how terrible I felt at my rock bottom and all the times in between.  The pain,  weakness from undernourishment,  and fears of whether I would ever feel well again eventually subsided as I follow my trial and error routine of Reduce Stress,  Sleep and Bowel Rest with Nourishment.  My above-mentioned tips to overcoming IBD flares are only a few of countless out there.  They have worked well to further my healing when I focus on them.  I encourage every IBDer to get creative, be determined and continue to search for ways to heal your gut.  Remember, the body is designed to repair and thrive. 

My latest health experiment - Nutritional ketosis + AIP

Back in May,  I started a new direction on my healing protocol that eventually brought my Ulcerative Colitis into REMISSION.

In this blog post, I will share with you how by incorporating nutritional ketosis into my Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, I found equilibrium in health; however, there is no one size fit all protocol for everyone. I hope by sharing my experiment, I can encourage my readers to continue their search towards finding the best way to support their healing journey. 

Here are the three points that explain my latest progression.

1. What inspired me to chose this route
2. What my AIP Nutritional Keto looks like 
3. What improvements has the changes made

1. Why would I think the ketogenic diet, originally designed to treat epileptic children, could help with my health? I didn't.  

Initially, I chose to investigate the ketogenic diet in hopes of balancing my blood sugar and finding hormonal support for peri-menopausal symptoms I started experiencing in the past few years. 
Having a history of diabetes in the family,  I am always watchful for signs of insulin resistance as I get older. Despite following the AIP protocol, I was still indulging in too many fruits and starchy vegetables to fill my belly. I wanted to learn more about blood sugar imbalance as I believe it plays an important role in supporting my gut health.  So as my UC symptoms subside, I took that as a sign to move forward in my continual search for better health.  With the predominant gut symptoms under control, I was still experiencing periodical energy crashes. I wasn't sure if that was because, as I felt stronger, I was eager to push myself more which resulted in fatigue. I had heard that the ketogenic diet can help regular blood sugar, stabilize energy and increase mental clarity.  So with my inquisitive mind, I decided to learn more about this concept of fueling the body.

Through the AIP/ Paleo community, I learned about The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls, where nutritional ketosis plays an important role in healing the body. She designed her protocol, with three stages to lead to a gradual transition from the Standard American Diet ( SAD) . The highest level, Wahls Paleo Plus, is not far off from AIP, so I was able to easily to slide over without going through the first two levels. 

What is Nutritional Ketosis? 

To quote Dr. Terry Wahls, " ... ketosis means you are burning fat, rather than sugar, as your primary fuel source ... when your body is in a state of nutritional ketosis, the liver begins producing ketone bodies" ( as a by-product of turning fat into energy the body can easily use). The Wahls Protocol p.191, 196

I am most fascinated with a process called autophagy where a Ketogenic Diet mimics fasting state to support the body in detox and repair itself.

2. What does my AIP Keto way of eating look like?

Based on Wahls Paleo Plus, the first revamp of my eating plan was increasing leafy green vegetables to 4-6 c a day. It was a bit nerve wrecking to increase so much insoluble fiber into my UC gut but the transition went smoothly with little discomfort. I also paid more attention to the variety, especially in colours, of vegetables on my plate. I increased my healthy fat intake by adding 4-5 tsp of coconut oil a day on top of the fats in my cooking and salad dressings. This increase in fat helped my body became fat adapted.  I decreased my protein intake to 6-10 oz. to prevent gluconeogenesis, Yes one can eat too much protein which turns into fat storage. Finally, I focused on staying hydrated as it is common for the body to excrete extra water in a ketosis state. Besides drinking enough fluids, I kept my electrolytes in check by consuming enough salts in my diet and sometimes even add a sprinkle of pink Himalayan pink salt into my drinking water. 

Three weeks into Nutritional Ketosis and I was feeling pretty good. Intermittent fasting 16 hours most of the days seem to happen naturally since I was satiated in between my meals. My brain was much clearer, my energy was stable and I was losing some hormonal weight gain that sneaked up on me in the past few months. Unfortunately, the increase in energy also resulted in  keto insomnia.  I had a hard time falling back to sleep after it was interrupted by waking up several times a night,  although falling asleep initially was not an issue.  Then slowly, my weight loss stalled and the bloating returned. Needless to say, I assumed that the healing honeymoon was over. Instead of feeling defeated and wanted to give up,  I browsed through forums and learned that other women also experienced obstacles when their carb intake became too low.  I began practicing Carb up ( increasing carbs in forms of berries or starchy vegetables) in the evening when needed, 2 to 3 times a week, and found that my body was not stressing out about the lack of carbs anymore. I learned that the body tends to panic when there are signs of energy deprivations. Since my body ran on glucose all my life, it viewed this new way of functioning as a threat. The small increase of carbs in the evening calmed my body and my sleep issue was therefore resolved. 

Now at 4 months into AIP Nutritional Ketosis, my body seem to like this routine.  I eat only when I am hungry, not when I am bored or think I should. Instead of worrying about whether I have food with me, I can go a lot longer period of time,  running on ketones, without being hangry. Being in NK has taught me to listen to my body ever so closely the right time to eat. This state has provided me more flexibility in my schedule by removing extra food preparation time off my plate. I can easily IF as long as I had enough good fats to keep me satiated until the next feeding opportunity. Currently, I start my morning with warm water with lemon juice, if I feel I need some extra energy, I might enjoy a spoonful of coconut oil and coconut manna to power up my body. Otherwise, I continue with my morning routine with a little yoga or exercise with free weights before getting the kids ready for school. After school drop off, I enjoy my 40 mins to 1:30 hr walk. When I return home, I make myself a blended fat drink with noncaffeinated tea, cocoa butter, MCT oil and collagen. I continue to Intermittent fast until 12p to 3p and break my fast with a big salad, cooked vegetable and protein. Dinner is a typical AIP meal around 6pm. 

3. What improvements have I noticed?

The greatest improvements I noticed since adding nutritional ketosis to the equation is stabilizing blood sugar. Although this effect seems to be unrelated to autoimmunity,  I believe managing blood sugar levels is key in supporting continual healing of the gut. Other positive side effects from the diet change are stability in the mood, better mental clarity, higher body temperature, and easier stress management.  With cravings at bay, I eat intuitively and no longer turn to food to fill boredom. Craving for carbs, especially fruits, seems to be a thing of the past, which means I enjoy social outings more where friends and family consume their non-AIP food. Of course, it is important that I bring my own compliant food to adhere to my eating for nourishment practice. As an added bonus, this way of eating has become more economical for the family's food budget because I am preparing meals with less protein than before. 

In conclusion, I am pleased with the health improvements since added Nutritional Ketosis to my AIP protocol. As the season change, it would be interesting to see how my body adapts. I hope this post will encourage my readers to listen to the body, let it guide them towards optimal health. Remember to be patient by allowing enough time for a new protocol to settle in.  Once the body finds its healing "groove", enjoy the progress when the momentum picks up but don't be discourage when it is time to re-evaluate the plan.  

Wholeheartedly support the body's natural ability to heal.
Continue to pursue optimal health by being intrigued by the process. 

Additional Resources about Nutritional Ketosis

History of Ketogenic Diet 
http://robbwolf.com/2015/09/24/the-origin-and-future-of-the-ketogenic-diet-part-1/
http://terrywahls.com/about-the-wahls-protocol//
http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2015/06/06/episode-20-ketogenic-diets-with-terry-wahls-and-paul-jaminet/
http://www.thepaleomom.com/how-many-carbs-should-you-eat/

Fellow AIP bloggers' experience with Ketosis 

https://petra8paleo.com/2015/02/12/biohacking-update-10-months-of-ketosis/
http://www.paleocajunlady.com/the-ketogenic-diet-experiment/