Health(y) Food

The term health food is so misleading. Often companies will advertise their products as "health food" when in reality it's just "low-calorie" or "low fat" and in order shave the calories they've packed it full of chemicals and things that are way less healthy than pesky calories. So what is healthy food, really? The easiest way to tell if something you're eating is truly healthy is to look at the ingredient list and see how many things you have actually heard of- or better yet, can pronounce. If the number of ingredients you recognize is less than those you do- it's probably not something you want to eat. There are lots of special diets that consist of healthy food- the raw diet, and paleo are just two examples, but it's really not necessary to limit yourself in that way if you don't want to. Educating yourself on things like GMOs, the dangers of soy, what sugar does to your body, and the difference between natural and organic are things that I think are really important. Also, don't be afraid to try and shop healthy. It's not as expensive as it used to be. Grocery stores like Aldi and Kroger are committing to stocking more organic food options at affordable prices. Sure Whole Foods has allure, but I know I can't afford to shop there all the time, and frankly some of their stuff is a rip-off. One of my favorite ways to get healthier food options at reasonable prices is Kroger's Simple Truth line- it's not perfect, but it's almost there, and way better than the alternative.

Right now eating healthy has become very difficult for me. I've been given extreme diet restrictions due to my Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome. Most of the easy go-to healthy options are ruled out for me. No salads, no leafy greens, no beans, no nuts of any kind, no oats or whole grains- yikes- it's a nightmare. I also can't eat any soy- which is a sneaky little bugger and hides is SO MUCH. So what am I eating these days? Well, I'm constantly looking for ways to be satisfied and still eat smart. I have found some things that I love and I thought I'd share them with you.


My new fave snacks are That's It bars. They are SO good, and they only contain 2 ingredients. At 100 calories a pop, they're something I feel great grabbing in between meals to curb a sweet tooth or craving. I get these at Kroger- they're pricey at $1.50 each, but it's something I'm willing to pay being that I'm so limited on options. If you have food allergies- these are seriously good. I only recommend the apple and banana if you REALLY like bananas because their flavor is strong. My favorite is the apple and cherry!

Another way I curb my sweet tooth is with vanilla yogurt. I know that Greek yogurt is like "the thing to do" these days, but I honestly can only handle it every now and then. For me I stick with the plain old regular yogurt. When it's on sale I'll buy organic, but most of the time I just go with Yoplait! The only weird ingredient in it is modified corn starch- which means a chemical was added to the corn starch to help it perform in a way necessary for the food- like gelling better for cold foods. Chemicals are never great, but I can live with this- and for those of you that are gluten-free, modified corn starch is definitely still GF. Yogurt is an awesome food to eat for your body, too. Its a great probiotic to help your digestive system and keep you regular! Add some fruit to it for breakfast or a healthy dessert alternative! I can't eat oats anymore, but one of my favorite things I used to eat for breakfast was vanilla yogurt with steel cut oats. Throw 2 handfuls of steel cut oats in the yogurt the night before and in the morning they're soft enough to chew, but still chewy enough to give good texture and help you feel full!

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Fruit is one of the options where I have the most freedom right now. My only fruit limitations are pineapples and raspberries. Lucky for me the whole fam loves fruit, so we've been doing a lot of fruit salads! Grab 3 or 4 of your fave fruits, chop them up and let them sit for just a few minutes to really blend with each other. Yum! I know there is a temptation sometimes to sprinkle a little sugar on top- and I have the BEST solution to that- True Lime is crystallized lime juice and lime oil and it works as the perfect healthy sweetener on fruit salads. A yoga instructor I love introduced me to it, and I'm telling y'all, I am hooked! You'll never go back to regular fruit salads again!

When I want something salty I have 2 go-to options. The first is popcorn. DO NOT EAT MICROWAVED POPCORN. Y'all, for real it is super bad for you. You can trust me, or Google it, because I wont get into the details, it's just not good. When I'm indulging we'll cook our popcorn on the stove in a little bit of canola oil- its delicious. The most low-cal option is to air pop, and air popped popcorn is an awesome snack food if you're trying to cut calories and fat. The other thing I eat a lot of when I need a salty fix is chips and salsa! Now, chips and salsa from Monterrey's may be completely delicious, but those chips are super fried and greasy- so I hate to break it to you, but they're not healthy. Tortilla chips from the store are much better and there are about a thousand different options, so you can find the chip that you like best. The same goes for salsas- my husband makes amazing home made salsa- but we hardly ever have time for that any more. My current fave are the restaurant style salsas- so I feel like I'm eating what'd I'd get at a Mexican restaurant, even though I'm not. 

it's empty because I love it!

For a quick and easy (healthy) protein options I love hard boiled eggs and turkey bacon. Two hard boiled eggs, or 4 strips of turkey bacon are great choices for breakfast or even snacks throughout the day. They're also super easy to pack for lunch to take to work!

If you're trying to eat healthy one thing to do is cut the sodas. This is hard, and I'm not pretending that I don't love my diet cokes and red bull. I'll never pretend to be something I'm not. They're awful for you, though, and if you read my last post you know one of my New Year's resolutions is to drink more water. (I've already had 48oz today, by the way) A great way to ease out of the soda habit is sparkling water. I have always loved Perrier and San Pelligrino, but sometimes I need some flavor and in the past few years have come to love La Croix. They have recently added some new flavors and blends and when I head to the fridge craving a diet coke, I try and grab one of these instead. I really like the melon grapefruit and cucumber berry flavors!

What are healthy foods do you love? Are you in need of a menu makeover? As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments! xo, Layne

New and exciting things???

If you read my 2016 post series then you are aware of the radical changes I've been having to make as a result of allergies that I have developed. I thought I'd share with y'all today some of the new products that I am having to use now that we know everything I am allergic to. All of it is new to me, and right now I'm not too excited about it. However, if implementing these changes produce lasting effects then that will be really dang exciting!

At our house there is very little that hasn't changed at this point regarding products we use. I have to use special soap for hands and dishes, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, nickel free razors, face wash, lotion, make up, detergent, dryer sheets, toothpaste, deodorant, hair spray--the whole nine yards. Even new pots and pans that wont leach nickel into my food. As far as my husband and the kids go they are able to use their normal soaps and shampoos, shaving stuff, and toothpaste, but things that would effect me they are stuck with. My hubby did have to give up Burts Bees because it included lanolin and I am allergic to that. I was flaring up around my mouth and it seems to have stopped since he switched to an approved lip product. He was super bummed, but totally willing to make the change, after all, he is pretty fond of kissing me!

All of our clothes are washed with Kirkland brand Free and Clear- I can't tell you how happy I am that a Costco product made it onto our "safe" list. We use 7th generation Free & Clear dish soap and all-purpose cleaner, and I'm cooking all food in our new enameled cast iron pots and pans. The pots and pans things was huge, because what's safe for me to use is not cheap, and we really weren't in the position to spend hundreds of dollars on new cookware. Lucky for me I had a birthday in October and I was able to be super boring and request Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift cards to purchase our first 2 pieces. Then recently a wonderful group of women I know blessed me with a donation and I was able to purchase a few more pieces that have made it much easier to cook for myself and my family. The silver lining is that the new cookware is nice and should last my lifetime, but it's heavy and I'm having to learn to use it. Long-term I know it is going to be a huge blessing regarding what is best for my health! It comes in fun colors, which is nice, too!

One of the biggest irks I have regarding new stuff I have to use is that I am SUPER limited in the toothpaste department. There are only 5 options for me to use and 3 of them are kid's toothpaste! Ugh! Right now I'm sharing with my girls and using Tom's of Maine in the mornings and then brushing with just baking soda at night time. There is another brand I'm going to try next that is reasonably affordable called Cleure, but it is out of stock everywhere right now. The last option is $30 for a tube, and I just don't think I can stomach spending that on toothpaste, y'all. A bummer about the kid's toothpaste is that it is flouride-free and I am cavity prone because of deep indentations and crevices in the crowns of my teeth. I am able to use mouth wash which should help with this, and also with the fact that the kid's strawberry flavoring just does not seem strong enough to help fight bad breath. 

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The new face products I'm using seem to be working well, so far, although eventually I think I'll need to add prescription acne prevention back into my routine as these products lean toward more natural and less chemicals. Since I work out and sweat a lot I have to really deep clean to prevent blemishes. This True Cider is from Dr. Cheryl Lee who also makes eczema treatment and products called True Lipids. It's on the pricey side, unfortunately. 

The last little bit I'll share with you is my hair. This was something that was a huge issue, because a lot of my allergic reactions were manifesting on my scalp. At their worst they were all over and I don't want to go into too many details because it's so gross, but needless to say the sores were so bad that I was losing hair in several spots. Even right now I am on a decent dose of prednisone to prevent a flare up over Christmas and I'm still experiencing extreme itching and dryness in those areas. I think long-term my scalp will be the most difficult to get under control. There is a True Cider shampoo and conditioner that is "safe" for me to use but it is very expensive and I wanted to try something different before I went that route. A friend from church introduced me to the "No Poo" movement. Yep, that's right, No-Poo, as in, no shampoo. It's really big in the crunchy communities and overall supposed to be great for your hair and scalp. Some people who go no-poo use mud or volcanic ash as a cleanser, but because nickel presents itself in the Earth's crust and therefore in soil, I thought that might not be the best option for me. No one told me I couldn't use mud, but it seemed like a safe assumption. I decided to go the baking soda and apple cider vinegar route. I know that these two things are safe for me to use and consume so they seemed like the best option for me. I did some research and as you begin the no-poo method there is supposed to be a bit of a transitioning period where you hair can look and feel like crap. Basically before the natural ingredients can begin to work wonders on your hair all of the chemicals and parabens have to be stripped from it which can take a few weeks. For me the shampoo and conditioner I had been using was already a very basic Free&Clear version that had very little chemicals and I didn't seem to have to endure this transition period. What I did have to navigate, however, was how much to use and how often. This has been a trial and error thing and is honestly still in the works. A basic mixture is 1 part baking soda to 4 parts water- this is your cleansing agent. Start on the roots and let sit for a minute then work down to the tips and rinse. The conditioner is the apple cider vinegar, again it is 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water, you can also add a few drops of essential oil to cut the vinegar smell. I'm really limited on essential oil use, because I have to try each one individually to see if it will cause me to flare up and I'm just not down with that right now. I know I'm ok with lavendar, so that is what I use. I don't think it helps much, but maybe a little. On Sunday my hubby told me I smelled like pickles. Oh well. You can make these mixtures at the beginning of the week and use them all week long, it's not necessary to use daily or even every-other day, you'll know if you need to when your hair starts feeling dirty. Other bloggers I read suggested spray bottles, but I haven't found them to be super convenient. The baking soda water is too thick and clogs the hose in the spray bottle, so I just end up dumping it onto the top of my head directly from the open spray bottle. The vinegar mixture sprays fine, however. I'm hoping that my scalp will continue to adjust to this option and that I can use it long-term, it seems like the healthiest thing for my hair and is certainly the most affordable option. 

Well, there you have it. Now you know exactly what I'm using every day to get ready. If any of you suffer from skin allergies or sensitivities I'd love to hear what works best for you! Also, if you have any questions about the products I'm using or other changes I've had to make, sound off in the comments! 

2016 (part 3)

Weeks and months passed and I got rid of everything in the house that could potentially cause an allergic reaction. I started the low-nickel diet and said goodbye to peanut butter, my favorite food! I prayed and stayed positive, after all we finally had a diagnosis! Unfortunately I wasn't healing, and I actually was having some new flare-ups. On November 28th I went back in for a 2nd round of testing, this time they tested for another 70 things.  My 2nd round of testing revealed 4 new things that I'm allergic to. One that I am severely allergic to is PPD a chemical in hair dyes, textiles, temporary tattoos, and printer ink. I am so allergic to it that I can have a reaction just by being near someone with dark hair dye and the information I was given regarding the allergy even suggested avoiding dark colored clothing.They also found that I am also allergic to a Benzophenone-4 (a chemical in sunscreen),vitamin E, and a propylene glycol (a food preservative). After my first round of testing I received a print out from the database of all of the products on the market that were safe for me to use. This included medicines, make up, household products, toiletries, etc. The first list was 100 pages long and now it's down to only 48 pages. Several of the products I had been using that were previously "safe" like my deodorant, toothpaste, and conditioner were no longer on the list. It's nuts how every decision I make from here out will be affected by these allergies. I received several injections in my scalp for the sores that have been there so long, they said I was losing my hair in those spots. I also got injections in my back and arm.They wouldn't even put bandaids over where I was bleeding because they were worried I'd react to the bandaids. The nurse called me Bubble Girl and I almost punched her in her face, although I know she was only trying to lighten the mood. Chad was with me so that he could process all of the information and know how to help with the lifestyle changes from here out. The injections would take a few days to start working on the really bad spots, and then I was to start a really strong steroid regimen that will last 3 weeks... I'm to eliminate everything from the house that contains the allergens and study up on each of them to be aware of situations when I might come in contact with them. I have put together a binder that I'll take with me everywhere from now on, it lists all of my allergies and also the different names they can go by under ingredient lists- that can get very complicated. It also lists all of the low-nickel foods for grocery shopping. I will still be on the low nickel diet probably for the rest of my life. Here is a little information about how my condition works, and a picture of what the patches looked like before they were removed.

This is definitely a lot to process, I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. The idea that in the future I could no longer be itchy, and able to wear something other than long pants and skirts is unbelievable. This has been such a rough journey, I'm honestly willing to lose some things I love (like reeses and coloring my hair) in order to feel better. I've ordered new soaps, detergents, toiletries, make up, etc. As we speak I'm waiting on an Amazon delivery of new shampoo and conditioner so I can finally wash my hair!! 

I have to say that I am not one to get emotional over ooey-gooey stuff, but I have found myself in tears a lot over the past week because I feel so overwhelmed by the love and support I have received after this diagnosis. I am truly blessed to be loved and cared for by so many amazing people. I know that their prayers have helped my family so much during this process. 

2016 (part2)

I had my first round of testing with my awesome new doctor in August. On Monday August 29th I woke up and my hair was wet, the sores on my scalp were oozing and my head was really sore. I was nervous about them being infected, around lunch time the lymph nodes behind my ears got so swollen that you could see them and not have to feel for them. Both the sores and the nodes got progressively worse as the day went on. I called my doctor today and they asked me to come in, when I did he saw how flared up I was and decided he needed to start the patch testing right away and not wait until the following week. He said if I stayed flared up like this much longer I was going to eventually become super sick. He was particularly concerned about several quarter-sized sores on my arms, and back, and the large sores all over my scalp. Since I was flared up so badly there was limited space for the patches- he couldn't place them anywhere that had any bumps or rash on it, so they were only able to test for 60 different things as opposed to the 110 they had planned on.

The test he gave me is called a patch test, and tests for delayed reaction contact dermatitis. So, for example, if I was allergic to wool (which I am) and wore a wool sweater, or brushed up on one in a store while shopping then a few days later I might flare up- however at that point if I didn't know I was allergic to wool, I would have no way of figuring out what had cause the rash. The way the test works is several patches were placed on my back- each patch with 10 different allergens on it. The patches are outlined with markers and notations are made on my back and the patches are covered in lots of tape and stay on for 3 days...during that time I can't bathe, or sweat, or risk getting my back wet in any way. After the 3 days the patches are removed and initial results are looked for, but that isn't the end. Once the patches are removed I have to continue to stay dry and go back every other day for readings until the doctor decides he has all the information he needs. Since he is looking for delayed reactions typically that takes a full 7 days. It's miserable and uncomfortable and kind of just sucks. The first round of testing was for 36 different allergens. After that week of testing he was able to confirm that I was severely allergic to Nickel, and moderately allergic to Lanolin, Cocamidoproyl Betaine (the chemical that makes soap foam), and all fragrances. The nickel allergy was so severe that it caused me to develop Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome. Essentially it caused my body to go into shock, and my system to be so whacked out that all of my other minor allergies were compounding with the nickel allergy and wreaking havoc/unleashing rashy hell on my body. 

My instructions based on these results were to stop using everything that had the 4 allergens in it. This got complicated because it meant all soaps, detergents, shampoos, etc were off-limits. The lanolin allergy also severely limited the options for cosmetics, toiletries, and lip balms. Luckily I was given access to a database in which my doctor input all of my allergies and it provided me with a list of all products currently on the market that were safe for me to use. The Systemic Nickel Allergy syndrome was so bad that it meant not just staying away from nickel jewelry and metal things, but also beginning a low-nickel diet. Oy vey, this diet is awful. Nickel is a naturally occuring element in soil and believe it or not has a very strong presence in a lot of food. The major culprits are chocolate, nuts, seeds, oats, whole grain, whole wheat, soy, and leafy greens...this means all of those had to be cut from my diet. It also was a huge clue as to why I flared up so badly when I was eating gluten free, because I was consuming a lot of chocolate, peanut butter, oats, etc. At this point I was to make these lifestyle changes and hope to begin healing.

2016 (part 1)

I don't have time to blog, but if I did I would tell you about what 2016 has meant for me...

First, the bad. I've always had bad skin. I have had eczema since infancy and I could count on at least one full-body rash each year with no apparent cause and only goes away with oral steroids. It's been that way for over a decade. This past February, however, I noticed a rash on my torso that didn't look like rashes I'd previously had. The papules were scabbed over, some appeared bite-like, others looked like sores. On February 12th I sent my Mom a pic to get her opinion and then went to see my dermatologist the next week. 

At the dermatologist I was seen by the PA who immediately diagnosed me with Scabies. In very basic terms scabies is like body lice, but worse. I told her that didn't seem right, we were clean people, we didn't own pets, no 2nd hand furniture or sleazy hotels in our past ... but she was sure. She prescribed me an oral medication for treatment and sent me on my way. I went home and did research that night and found out that the entire family would have to be treated in order for it to be effective because of the contagious nature of the parasite. So, we got the (insanely expensive) medicine called in for Chad and both girls and treated the whole fam.... but my rash need went away, so we treated again, and again. Then I went back to see the dermatologist again because I was miserable and confused as to why I wasn't getting better. This time the entire fam came along. We saw the doctor this time who looked at me and again immediately "confirmed" the diagnosis from the PA of scabies. This was despite the fact that the treatment hadn't worked, I didn't meet the criteria for being around the parasite, and no one else in my family was affected by what is an insanely contagious bug. She even went as far as to lie and say there was no test for scabies which at that point we knew not to be true because I was almost 4 months into this whole ordeal and had done my research. She deemed my strain resistant and tripled my dose of medicine. Oh by the way, did I mention that the medicine for scabies is a pesticide. So after taking the triple dose of poison and still not getting better and Chad pointing out how dismissive and uncaring my dermatologist was we decided to see another doctor. I went and saw my new doctor the next week and within 60 seconds of being in the room with me he told me I did NOT, nor did I ever have dreaded scabies. Bleck (and yes, I know what you're thinking, I did unnecessarily repeatedly ingest poison and cover my kids in it). I could get into the fury and pure unadulterated rage I felt toward my old dermatologist for causing me to suffer needlessly for months, or spend hundreds of dollars on harmful medicine, or hire professionals to come examine my house for bugs I didn't have, or wash my sheets every single night for almost 2 months... but dwelling on the past is not important. 

My new doctor was a godsend, but he wasn't able to cure me right away. He was very upfront that it would take some time, research, and trial and error to get a diagnosis. On the first visit he did two biopsies to test for bites and gluten intolerance which at first glance is what he thought my rash resembled. In the meantime suggested I go gluten free while we waited for results. Both were negative, but I felt like the gluten free diet was helping so I kept it up. This decision very quickly went wrong and I flared up horribly. Back at the doc he immediately suggested a severe nickel allergy based on some of the sores on my back, but needed to do testing to confirm. I was at one of my worst points during this visit. The rash was everywhere, there were awful sores developing all over including my scalp, this sucked for me- but my doctor made sure to let me know that the silver lining was that he had more to go on, as far as leading him toward a diagnosis. We scheduled testing began to pray harder than ever...