fruit rules!

fruit rules! i mean it really rocks! who doesn't love a big juicy ripe peach or a perfectly crisp apple? fruit is considered by many to be the most perfect food you can eat. i consider all fruits to be superior and that means it's a major part of my diet.  however, i do have a few rules i try to follow when it comes to consuming fruit.

rule #1 - choose only organic

i go where i need to go to get great organic fruit.  typically during the summer and fall i can go to my local farm stand or farmers markets. during other times of the year i will go to Whole Foods. choose the fruits that are most in season so as not to spend a fortune. off-season organic fruits can be found in the frozen section as well, which you can use in smoothies :)

organic is not something i am willing to waver on. as someone who battles autoimmune diseases, i know that any chemicals entering my body pose a threat to my already confused and already compromised immune system.  sometimes i wonder if all this factory farming, pesticide, gmo BS is what triggered this autoimmune response in my body in the first place. our world and this environment is chemical laden...control what you can!

rule #2 - wash everything

all fruit, even organic should take a little shower before it enters your body. this is easy and does not take tons of time so do not skip this step! a quick rinse helps but i think is not enough. the surface of your fruit may not have pesticides but with all produce you run this risk of bacteria or fungal growth especially if the fruit has traveled far to get to you. the very best process you can use to rid your veggies of unwanted germs is to fill up your sink or a large bowl with water and a bit of apple cider vinegar. then simply let your fruits and veggies soak for five minutes.

rule #3 - eat fruit first

believe it or not it matters when you eat fruit. a piece of fruit travels swiftly through your system, taking only 20-30 minutes to digest. other foods like starches and proteins will take quite a bit more time. if you are combining fruit with other types of foods or you already have these other foods in your gut digesting, fruit can get stuck in the mix. when fruit is stuck it can begin to ferment before it's through your system causing gas and bloating and just an all around yucky tummy! to avoid turmoil like this in your gut you should plan to eat fruit on an empty stomach allowing 30 minutes for digestion before eating anything else. most days i tend to eat lots of fruit for breakfast and snacks up to lunch and then avoid it the rest of the day.

this idea to take care about when you eat fruit is for the sake of gut function. you want your foods all day to be flowing smoothly. when it's not flowing smoothly in your gut your body must spend additional energy aiding in digestion. additionally, when you really disregard food order and food combining you run the risk of gut disfunction and gut disfunction can and will eventually affect your immunity. this girl does not want that!

eat healthy and be well! ~ j

a visit to maine with a massaged kale salad

packed up the kids and headed to maine for the week of the fourth of july. we love it up there. to say the beach is peaceful is an extreme understatement. it's a private beach so no hoards of people. and it's in a bay so no giant waves. i can sit and relax since i don't have to worry about the kids getting lost or being knocked over by a rogue wave. ah....maine.

pristine!

the only drawback is dealing with food. the fridge is stocked but by my mom. she is not a vegan. and my sisters, their husbands, all the kids, they are not vegans either. so me being the only vegan, planning and prep is required.

these dunes are magical!

this time i brought my blender along with frozen fruits and spinach. that took care of my breakfasts. but for lunch and dinner i need salad! i knew there would be no room for all my veggies so i made a salad ahead of time. i managed to make the perfect pack-away salad!

this salad involves kale. i love kale! with all the vitamins and minerals inside those lovely leaves who wouldn't? it's also known to have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties! bring on the kale!

me and my salad :)

i made this salad on a monday and it was still good on wednesday. i enjoyed it in maine on the deck while we waited for the sun to come out. when it finally came out it was hot and lovely. perfect weather for a dip in the cold gulf of maine waters.

massaged kale salad

• 1 bunch of kale either green or purple
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 avocado cubed
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1. de-stem the kale. rinse well and spin dry in a salad spinner.
2. add kale, olive oil and salt to a salad bowl. using your hands, tear into bite size pieces and massage. continue to massage for 15 minutes. the kale will wilt down considerably.
3. add the avocado, bell pepper, onion, and pumpkin seeds. toss and serve. you can serve with a bit of balsamic vinegar if desired.

tips for an enjoyable MRI

in the whirlwind of illness leading up to my diagnosis and treatment of ms, i had four MRIs. then just

two weeks ago i had a fifth. results were great this past time :) but the point i'm getting to is that when it comes to MRIs, i'm a pro.

for many, MRIs are nerve-wracking or uncomfortable. and for others, especially those with claustrophobia, MRIs can be frightful. i'd like to reach out to anybody in the population with an upcoming MRI to let them know it's not as dreadful as they may think. here are my tips to an enjoyable MRI.

schedule at a relaxing time

if you have a choice as to when you have your MRI, schedule it at your most relaxing time of day. this is, of course, person specific. my choice is first thing in the morning when the day has not had time to put me in a lousy frame of mind. nothing has happened. no one has approached me with a deadline or eaten my lunch out of the fridge. this last MRI i was able to schedule on sunday which was even more amazing because there was no traffic and very little people crowding the hospital.

the best time for you may be as an escape on your lunch break or later on toward dinner. you schedule for you.

wear the right outfit

this is no joke. wear your favorite and most snuggly, comfy sweats. i also recommend socks and sneaks. no zippers or snaps. and if you are a woman, no hooks and underwires in your bra. so i suggest a sports bra. wearing an outfit with no metal allows you the comfort of wearing your own clothes and not a hospital gown. who designed those crazy things anyways?? i mean they fit no one.

plan to go alone

here's the thing. it may sound like a good idea to have a spouse, family member, friend with you, especially if you are scared of what this MRI might mean. however, you will probably not be getting results right away. generally you hit your doctor appointment a day or two later to discuss. so you won't need a friend for support.

bringing someone along only has the potential to make this MRI more difficult. on the ride in you have to talk to this person. you will likely discuss the possibility of poor results. this can only add stress to the task currently at hand. additionally, an MRI can take a while. perhaps you will feel bad that your support person is now out in the waiting area alone. that too can stress you out and make you feel bad.

listen to a soundtrack

on your way to your MRI listen to your kind of music. music that makes you happy, content, or relaxed. if possible listen to your iTunes or Pandora. what you don't want is talk or news radio. the woes of the world do not need to be on your plate at this particular time on this particular day.

prep for comfort

once in the MRI room, you want to take measures to ensure your comfort for the extent of the MRI. earplugs are given and you should be sure they are snug and therefore will be effective. some MRI facilities have padded headphones. if this is the case, feel free to request a particular kind of music.

if you are one who suffers from claustrophobia you may want to consider an eyemask of sorts. if you can't see the confines of the MRI machine you perhaps won't be affected by your fear. some eyemasks even have aromatherapy properties which can add another layer to your relaxation.

one last issue to consider is the temperature of the MRI room. typically it's cold and can be too cold while laying still for over an hour. request a blanket to be safe. you will not regret it.

meditate to relax

the first part of your meditation is to do a body scan. think of every part of your body from your head to your toes and make sure to relax each body part. pay close attention to the area of interest as it is important to keep that area from moving during the MRI. if you are carrying tension in that area and you don't realize it, you may find you need to move at an inopportune time.

the second part of your meditation requires you to go to a happy place. envision a place in this world that makes you incredibly happy. for best results this should be a place you have actually been to. try to choose a place where things are happening and there are many things to see. remember this vision needs to last for your entire MRI. it can't just be one place with one scene.

my happy place is catalina island off the coast of southern california. i'm snorkeling...weightless...floating on the top of the sea...drifting in and out of the kelp beds...oodles of bait fish are passing by...maybe bat rays are flying through the water...a seal swimming towards me...  as you can see this vision can go on for some time :)

putting some thought into your MRI ahead of time can make all the difference. you may find that you even enjoy this time to yourself!

~j

3 ways the internet helped me cope

have you ever been to your pcp for a routine physical, had some blood work done or some other test, then received the results back from your doctor in jargon that you don't understand? generally the results are negative so you don't even need to know what the test was for. your hermatacrit is fine, your compliment levels are within range. "great see you in a year!"

when my symptoms returned after the birth of my daughter, i had to start going to my doctors more often. i went through tests after tests.  the results were read to me in doctor mumbo jumbo, lingo that i did not understand. i felt confused and very, very alone.

then something special happened. medicine and healthcare decided to embrace the internet! here are 3 wonderful ways the internet helped me learn about my disease and ultimately cope with my situation.

medical websites

two of my favorites are webmd and mayoclinic. check it out. go ahead. type in the flu or something. it will tell you whether you are at risk, what the symptoms are, how to get diagnosed, flu shots, etc. webmd even tells you how to cope with the flu.

so i research things about lupus and now ms all the time. if i have puffy eyelids i check a site to see if it may be a symptom of lupus or ms. if not then maybe i will call to discuss with my doctor but i check myself first. that's right, i'm in charge here!

once i was also diagnosed with ms, many different medications were on the table as options. all the options had side effects so i needed to be informed. these medical websites helped me with research.  i'm pretty sure if i was unable to do my own research i would have just gone ahead with what the doctor seemed most psyched about. but only i really knew the full complexity of my clinical history. after my research and after the doctors answered my questions, i decided on a different route.

patient portals

maybe 2 or 3 years ago the hospital i go to moved to an electronic system of delivering patient information. they call it a portal or gateway. i can log in and see all my upcoming appointments, doctor information, and test results. i get alerts via email when test results are in. additionally, i can contact my doctor through the portal in a sort of email type way.

essentially i can email my doctor!?! i don't have to go to see my doctor to discuss issues that arise. amazing!

the test results portion of my portal has been especially informative. not only do i get results to tests but i get to see the range the results should fall in. sometimes i might be in range but close to being out of range (which i think is important to know). also test results over time can help you see what your baseline is.

the portal i have has an amazing feature that i would like to mention. next to the data from each test result is an icon that allows you to find out more about the test and what it means. because of this feature i really know how lupus and ms are affecting me. knowing absolutely as much as you can about your disease and yourself helps you to discuss your treatment and care with your provider. i have found this so empowering. truly it has helped me regain my confidence, get back out there, and fight the good fight!

apps

they have apps in the field of medicine that can help with a scary diagnosis, help pin point medical issues, or help you chart your symptoms. there are a couple that i have become familiar with.

pain coach screen

the pain coach is an app i have used. it is created by webmd. you can track your levels of pain from unbearable to great. add which symptoms you are experiencing on individual days. you can add items you think are triggering or exacerbating your symptoms. over time you can see if there is a correlation or not. you can add what your treatments are. it's a great way to keep track of your medications too especially ones you have to take multiple times a day. i will tell you that it was this app that helped me pinpoint my nerve symptoms. ultimately this led to my ms diagnosis.

the multiple sclerosis self-care manager is another i have on my iPhone. i'll admit i don't use it as much as the other app i mentioned above but there are several great features. the self monitoring feature will help you keep track of weight, bp, and glucose. i can think of other "vitals" you could self monitor and track here but those are the ones listed. there is a place to keep track of lab results which i think is important if you don't have a portal (as mentioned above) for your information. there is also a place to list your medications as well as list which ones your are allergic to. the most important feature on this app i think, is the side effects log. it's important to be able to distinguish between symptoms of your disease and side effects of your medication or treatment.

if you are fighting a disease, you should be sure to use all the knowledge and information that is available to you. it will help you cope, move forward, and perhaps find new hope.

be strong - j

the green monster

it's been so hard to get this post written. the distractions have been numerous in Boston this week. hard to think of yourself in a time like this. i held my kids (8 and 4) extra tight this week. my heart goes out to the families that have been hurt by the Boston Marathon bombs.

juicing

i love juicing lately. quick, fun, easy. and these juices are not to be confused with the bottled juices at the food store.  like cran-this or juicy-that.  do you know how much sugar is added to those? do you know how much actual fruit is not? gosh well when we make our own here in our zesty kitchen we can control everything. my control diminishes of course when the kids are in the kitchen :)

juices are a great way to consume your fruits and vegetables and to help you add some amazing super foods into your diet. i'm not talking a fruit here and a vegetable there. i guess you have to be a juicer to know but in each 16 ounce mason jar of homemade juice is like a half a head of greens, 2-3 vegetables, and 2 pieces of fruit.  if you were to sit and try to eat all that you would be extremely full or may not even finish. but in a juice it's down the hatch in minutes. the reason is that during juicing the pulp is pulled out. the pulp is the cell walls of the veggie or fruit. the fiber lives here but none of the vitamins and nutrients. without the pulp you can consume more. and without the pulp the good stuff from your juice can be absorbed into your body faster for immediate use.

juicing can not be confused with smoothies. i make those too but the result is different. you cannot get the volume of fruits and veggies in a smoothie that you can in juicing. and the equipment is different. juicer vs blender. however you can still get a juice out of a blender if you really want to. just blend and strain! probably more difficult than a juicer but doable. um let me know how this turns out because i've never actually tried it!

now i mentioned fun above. and it's serious fun. even my kids get into it. i'll wash and cut an array of fruits and veggies and let them create their own concoction. the brighter the beverage the better! even more? they drink it! sometimes the best juices i come up with are discovered in this way too. for high flavor, my favorite additions to juices are ginger, lemon peel, and cayenne!

the green monster
**there may be other "green monster" juice recipes out there but i simply can't not name this as such.
*organic only!

• 1/2 head (2 cups) hydroponic spinach leaves and stems washed
• 4-5 kale leaves and stems washed
• 1/2 cucumber washed
• 2 green apples washed and cut. no stems
• 1/2 lemon with peel

1. wash all veggies and fruits even though they are organic. i like to fill a big bowl with water and just let everything float around in there for about 10 minutes. most dirt will fall off. pull the ingredients out and let dry on some dish towels.
2. cut the apple into pieces that fit into your juicer chute. no stems.
3. feed the greens first. then follow with the rest in any order.

if this is your first juice, be open-minded. drink more than one sip. by sip 3 you will love this!

enjoy - j

vegetarian to vegan - 5 lil dairy swaps

as i recall, going vegetarian was so simple. just don't eat meat. since i already loved fruits and veggies so very much it wasn't like i was looking for something to eat at any moment in time. there was plenty to eat, and once i started investigating there were so many fun and new ways i could prepare my beloved fruits and veggies.

now going vegan seems to me not simple and completely complicated. no dairy? that stuff is in everything! i drank my coffee in the morning with cream. i have cereal from time to time. i'm quite fond of bread with butter. i like (need) pizza in my life. and i bake...a lot. not sure i can even imagine a world without cupcakes.

still i wanted to take the plunge. and these are the 5 dairy swaps i made to get it done.

the cream substitute
there are several non-dairy creamer options. the obvious choice would be a soy creamer but i found it let a funky taste and never actually creamified my coffee or tea. the color always remained too dark and the coffee therefore too bitter. i finally found the So Delicious coconut creamer. it's heaven. so creamy but not sweet. believe it or not it doesn't impart any coconut flavor which i think is a great quality. this is my choice in this category and i must say i prefer it to dairy creamer now.

the milk substitute
i guess the truth is i have been opting for soy, almond, or coconut milk for a while. a half gallon here a half gallon there but just for me and mostly just to drink or have in cereal. but now that i am sincerely omitting milk (even in some of my kids foods) i buy these different milk varieties (some people call them mylk) in what used to be the powdered milk section of the food store. little cartons of each kind since they last in the cupboard for some time. i choose to buy these unsweetened, unflavored but if you and your family are new to these milks try the vanilla flavor. if  you can try not to get the sweetened as these have tons of sugar!

the butter substitute

do no choose margarine! it's bad for you. however Earth Balance makes many healthy options for buttery spreads. the flavor is there and the spreadability is there. Earth Balance is also made in sticks both salted and unsalted so the product can be used for baking too! Earth Balance is my only go-to here.

the cheese substitute
there are cheese substitutes everywhere these days. i've been buying and been happy with the Go Veggie brand. however i did just discover that it still contains casein which is a dairy product and therefore this cheese isn't vegan! Daiya is a very popular brand sold at places like Wholefoods. more expensive yes. but worth it! alternatively you can make your own. ok i have not thought for a minute that i am talented enough to try that in the kitchen. but there are cookbooks on this topic and therefore i can see this being a post in the future. jess tries for the cheese!

the egg substitute
for scrambled eggs you will have to try a tofu scramble. mostly veggies, some crumbled up extra firm tofu and seasonings most specifically turmeric. it helps give it the egg color plus a savory flavor. oh and turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory! bring on the tofu scramble.

for eggs in your baking you will again be faced with options. at the food store they sell egg replacer. i have Bob's Red Mill in my cabinet. you can also make your own by mixing ground white chia seeds with water or ground flax seeds with water.  both mixes get thick and sticky when you let them sit making for the perfect binding agent.

there you have it! no excuses. unless your excuses are that you don't want to be vegan. which is of course fine. but i urge you to try one or two of these options. even decreasing  your meat and dairy intake a little is great for your health and the environment!

be well and be vegan! - j

tamari-peanut sauce over chinese-spiced veggies

eating the right foods can improve your health. this thought was planted in my head several years ago with a cookbook my mom gifted to me one christmas. it's called a life in balance and it's written by meg wolfe. her story is one of overcoming cancer by eating a vegan diet. many recipes in her book call for shoyu. as i researched macrobiotic diets and read the kind diet by alicia silverstone i found many more recipes with shoyu as an ingredient. i knew there had to be a healthy reason why!

turns out shoyu (mostly labeled tamari these days) is a healthy addition to your diet. shoyu is rich in minerals and antioxidants. it has great enzymes that aid in the digestion of your food especially veggies and grains. and because it's fermented it contains live organisms like lactobacillus. this is a good bacteria that we want living in our gut and intestinal tract. it's bacteria that can be lacking in vegans because we don't eat yogurt and cheese. so we should add shoyu/tamari, kimchi, pickles, and beer and wine (!) to our diet. beer and wine in moderation of course:) in addition this lactobacillus has been studied and is shown to have anti-cancer, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. anti-inflammatory! you all know how i feel about that. it's key to defending my body from further autoimmune damage.

bring on the shoyu! but look for natural organic brands. other common brands can be unfermented and therefore get their flavor from a chemical process. natural is good - chemical is bad.

tamari-peanut sauce over chinese-spiced veggies

• 1/4 cup chunky natural peanut butter
  
• 2 Tbsp of natural tamari
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 Tbsp honey (raw sugar for the strict vegan)
• 1 tsp freshly minced ginger
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 celery stalk sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 tsp chinese 5 spice powder

1. whisk together the first 7 ingredients or pulse in a small food processor. set aside.
2. in a medium sized skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. sauté the onion, carrot, and celery for about 5 minutes. add the broccoli florets and saute 1 minute. add water and 5 spice power. stir then cover for 3 minutes. take off cover and let the rest of the water evap off.
3. serve vegetables topped with the peanut sauce. for my kids and hubby this is a great side dish. i love to add the veggies to some soba noodles and then top both with the sauce. this makes a great main dish for vegans and for me!

eat well! - j

when the yogi needs yoga

i may have had a lot on my plate last week. i think i was stressed. my son was starting spring sports (dos sports this year). my daughter was having tubes put in her ears (4th set). i was going back to work after 2 months off for my treatments. ok i was definitely stressed. then the catalyst..i spilled sony's ear drops.

at that point profanities definitely came out of my mouth and tears spilled forth. breathe in...breathe out... i needed meditation or yoga. a quick glance at the clock and i knew i had just missed the morning session at my local studio The Yoga Tree. thank goodness these days there are yoga/meditation options when you find yourself in just such a jamb.

publications

i subscribe to Yoga Journal. there are always a few yoga poses to try, sequences to follow right in your own home. sometimes just reading an article in that magazine is enough to relax the mind and start me on the path of de-stress.

apps

i just downloaded an app called Daily Yoga. it consists of training sessions (some free, some for $), a pose library, yoga music (for the freestyle yogi) and more. i also have an app on my phone for meditation. it's called Simply Being. you choose the length of time you wish to meditate for and other specifics like whether you want music to accompany the voice that guides you or perhaps nature sounds. both you can find at the app store.

podcasts

podcasts only provide you with an audio, but it's easy to listen and follow if you are familiar with yoga poses and terminology. my girl julie and i would do 20-40 minutes of yoga at lunch together. she had these great podcasts from yogadownload.com and they were just perfect for a quickie yoga session.

this is where i am transported to when i do yoga!

online

now you can do yoga anywhere with a teacher! you can get unlimited yoga at yogaglo.com and myyogaonline.com for a very low monthly fee. both you can try for free for a trial period. at doyogawithme.com you can view and practice for free! not only is it free but i'm actually quite fond of the site. i find it easy to navigate and usually find exactly what i am looking for.

on this particularly stressful day last week, still with tears in my eyes, i rolled out my mat, flipped open my laptop and looked to doyogawithme for the cure. i chose "reclaiming your joy" and it was perfect. the practice is led by nicki jones and she does a phenomenal job at guiding you through hip and heart openers. nicki also has a kind and believable voice that is easy to focus on throughout the practice.

at the end of the 60 minute session i smiled to myself, happy to be me, happy to have given myself the time to practice. i felt warm and blissful. the stress from 60 minutes prior was a distant memory. yoga is so much more powerful than stress.

namaste - j

avocado: the incredible hulk

the way i see it the diet i try to follow is more about adding certain foods rather than taking away. if i add tons of good foods to my daily meals there won't be room for the bad foods. so these newly added foods need to be superfoods. they need to bring some big benefits to my autoimmune disease-fighting table.

one of the foods you will see in many of my recipes will be avocado. i love this little green hunk and it's not just because he's so creamy and yummy.  the avocado is packed with tons of vitamins, fiber and potassium, which makes for strong hair, skin and nails. it's good for the heart and for lowering cholesterol. avocado is said to fight cancer of the prostate, skin, and mouth. also i saw on a vegan tv show that it was good for the libido...wink, wink.

the reason i choose avocado is because of the fat. that's right...i said fat. F-A-T! these fats are the monounsaturated fats. they're good for you! oleic acid is one of these fats in the avocado. it's job is to create fat transporting molecules in the digestive tract, and this process increases our absorption of fat soluble nutrients like carotenoids. so add avocados to salads and other dishes. the combination ensures maximum absorption of nutrients!

other fats contained in avocados include phytosterols and poly hydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs). both have been proven to provide anti-inflammatory properties. since autoimmune diseases cause and wreak havoc with inflammation, avocados are a big superfood for me. when that little green hunk is ingested it's like he turns into the incredible hulk and just goes nuts and takes care of business! grrrr!

i buy avocados like 4 or 5 at a time. i get the firm ones and leave them on the counter with the bananas until they give with a squeeze then they are off to the fridge. a serving size is 1/5 of a medium sized avocado. seriously? what am i supposed to do with the rest of it, let it get all brown and gross? i eat the thing whole. if i do only go for a half, i stick the other half in a plastic baggie and suck the air out. and be sure to eat it the next day!

avocados are great in:

• salads with lots of colorful veggies.
• smoothies - sounds strange but is delish and creamy!
• sandwiches and wraps - see below.

grilled avocado sandwich

• 2 slices whole grain bread
• vegan buttery spread
• 1/2 avocado sliced
• cheddar vegan cheese shreds
• s+p

1. first toast the bread slices in a toaster. this gets the bread toasted on the side going against the avocado too:)
2. spread vegan buttery spread on outside of bread slices. add avocado slices, cheddar shreds, and s+p.
3. grill on a sandwich press or however else you make grilled cheeses. i went old school and used the George Forman!
4. slice and eat. if you so choose, try Sriracha hot sauce for dipping!

enjoy! - j

reason for my lil lemon zest blog

so the reason i'm here blogging is mainly due to two things: i love veggie food and i've been stricken with not one but two autoimmune diseases that i must now thwart with drugs and hospital stays. these two seemingly unrelated topics have led me to seek knowledge about healthier foods and healthier life options.

veggie food - over the past two years i have been a vegetarian and the more i read/learn/know about dairy the more i strive to be vegan. for me it's time to take that stand. so let's consider any recipes here completely "plant-based". no milk, cheese, or eggs. i find it fun to learn about new ingredients and techniques. cooking vegan food has become a whole new adventure and i love to document it with fab pics :)

autoimmune diseases - i have two. good grief. bet you didn't even know that could happen. actually if you have one autoimmune disease it's quite common that you will find yourself with another. i started off with lupus over 15 years ago. for me lupus was minor and i often forgot i had an issue at all. over the past 3 months however, multiple sclerosis has taken over my life. i have lesions in my brain and spine. the subsequent pain is unbearable. chemo has been my only option for treatment. mwa, mwah...

i assure you this topic will not be the subject of many future blogs. this platform is not where i lay my sorrow about how terrible life is for me. my amazing kids and gorgeous hubby make my life incredible to say the least. rather, this platform is where you will find me standing up to MS and lupus and giving them a bit of a run for their money. i refuse to go down without a fight! therefore, i've decided to try and take my health back into my own hands. i will control how i treat my body and see if i can create the healing environment it needs. and so i begin my journey.

as stated, this is a journey of self-induced healing! how I do that exactly remains mysterious i guess. one does not know where one will go during a journey, what will be discovered, and where it ends. but we take the journey anyway. i will tell you that this journey will include to start with: whole, plant-based foods (recipes and pics!), yoga poses and topics, happy things (like cupcakes!), and perhaps some intuitive or alternative health and wellness ideas that may or may not pan out. 

if you have an autoimmune disease or ailment of any sort you should join me! if not, please check in on my journey anyway. you might discover something new!

looking forward to spring! - j