Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
This isn't something I often advertise to my clients, but I have a condition called IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I was diagnosed in my early 20s and I have lived with it's symptoms for over 25 years. I attribute it to beginning my mission to eat healthy.
IBS is caused by abnormal muscle contractions in the intestine. What causes these atypical contractions is unknown, however, specialists believe that abnormalities in the nerves in the digestive system can cause a faulty connection between your brain and your large intestine, causing it to either slow down contractions or speed it up. There are certain triggers: specific foods, stress, hormones, and the condition may be hereditary.
Symptoms of IBS
- the number one symptom is severe diarrhea
- the other symptom is constipation, though I rarely experienced this, I know other IBS sufferers do
- pain in the lower abdominal area
- bloated abdominal area
- fatigue (from lack of nutrients being absorbed)
When I...
Chicken Protein Bowl
Several years ago my husband and I had a quick lunch at Nature's Fare grocery store in Langley. They have a small cafeteria in their store with lots of healthy options available. Being allergic to gluten and dairy is sometimes challenging when eating out, but I can always trust that at Nature's Fare there are a few healthy options available.
I discovered their "protein bowl" which was a yummy mix of baked sweet potato cubes, chickpeas, 3oz of chicken breast, and pumpkin seeds drizzled with a tahini dressing all on a bed of spring mix.
Since that lunch I have been making this protein bowl at home almost every week.
Chicken Protein Bowl
- 4-5oz baked skinless, boneless chicken breast (45min in 350 degree oven, check internal temperature 165F) (150 calories)
- 1/2 cup baked cubed sweet potatoes (30min in 400 degree oven) (200 calories)
- 1/8 cup chickpeas (100 calories)
- 1/2 tbsp walnut pieces (25 calories)
- 1/2 tbsp cashew pieces (25 calories)
- 1...
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Low Carb Shepherd's Pie
This dish is one of my family's faves. Months ago, I was logging my macros on my My Fitness Pal app and I came across a mouthwatering video on how to make a low carb shepherd's pie. Presently, I can't find a link to the video, but I found the original recipe here.
I don't know about your kids, but mine are sometimes adverse to vegetables, and trust me, because their mother is a health nut those poor kids are given a LOT of vegetables. The first time I made this recipe I forgot to tell them that the top was made from cauliflower, and the funny thing is they didn't even know the cauliflower mash wasn't potatoes!
For the first several times making this I followed the recipe exactly as it states on the My Fitness Pal website, but I didn't care for the flavour combos. In the end I replaced the bison with extra lean ground beef, because while I would LOVE to always use bison in this recipe, I just can't afford it at this time. I experimented and came up with a recipe that...
Ground Turkey & Chicken Muffins Recipe
We love these muffins. So versatile: throw into a picnic basket, add to a big salad, make into meatballs for spaghetti, quick grab and go lunch.
I often make these, alternating between using ground turkey and ground chicken. If I am remembering correctly I got the recipe idea from Jamie Eason's website years ago. There are a lot of variations on the web, but this is my favourite.
- 2 lbs ground chicken or ground turkey
- 1 eggs (original recipe uses 3 egg whites, but my family like them with whole eggs)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves (original recipe uses 2 tbsp powder, but I like adding fresh cloves)
- 1 small sweet onion
- 2 celery
Using ground turkey: 172cal, 7.9g fat, 6.5g carb, 18.7g protein
Egg Muffin Cups Recipe
I was diagnosed as being mildly insulin resistant last year. My doctor suggested I stop eating a high carb, low fat vegan diet and adopting more of a moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate, higher fat Paleo diet. I was vegan because my husband was vegan...for seven years, and he was stubborn about changing. I ate meat out, but didn't cook it at home. After much research, I decided eating a higher fat, animal protein diet would be beneficial to try.
Immediately I gained 7 pounds...eek! But truthfully I needed to gain that, I was underweight. On the vegan diet, over the years I did develop some health issues: irregular cycles, fatigue, hypothyroid. Going more Paleo, I slowly gained my energy back (thyroid meds helped too!). Now I eat more of a Zone style diet: 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. Over the years since Zone became popular in the late 90s, I have always found this macro ratio works well for me. I should add that when I was eating Paleo I never cut out oats and rice,...
Author
Amy Goeldner
Certified Fitness Pro
Amy is a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, corrective exercise specialist, Pilates instructor, yoga instructor, and most importantly super passionate about helping people build their bodies from the inside out to become strong, move better, and develop functional movement patterns to live your best life possible.
