‘Tis the Seasons [52]
Hi guys! Happy Saturday, almost-Halloween and Julie’s wedding day 🙂
When I got off work last night, I had no clue what I was going to do for dinner. Groceries were scarce, I had hot bar the night before, didn’t know what I felt like having but knew I was a hungry monkey.
Somehow my aunt and I ended up here 😉
Seasons 52! I have a way of ending up there on Friday nights, haha.
I had a beautiful glass of Shiraz and my auntie and I shared the edamame with green tea sea salt:
and for my entree, I was hankering for a piece of salmon the size of my head.
Ask and ye shall receive 😉
Cedar-planked salmon with asparagus, carrots and butternut squash instead of potatoes. It was so lovely- the salmon was seasoned and cooked perfectly, per usual, and the b-nut squash made my life 🙂
And then, the saddest dessert to ever be ordered in the history of Seasons 52:
Berries.
Don’t punch me.
I told you guys that I had a convo with my homeopathic doc yesterday- it was because they got my test results back (they did a saliva DNA test). He told me that I a) am intolerant to gluten and b) need to take it easy on sugar for a while. Apparently the hormone that helps process sugar needs to be in a range between 12 and 20 (I think that’s what he said??), but mine was at a 3. (They’ve mailed me a copy of the results but it wont get here until Monday)
Also, my circadian rhythm is totally off. My body does what it needs to, but at the wrong times. For example, your hormones are supposed to be high in the morning and low at night, so you can go to sleep. Mine are the total opposite- low in the morning and high at night. So there’s a REASON why I hate the morning and get my second wind at night 🙂
The plan is to take the supplements he’s sent me (all plant-based!!! Wahoo!) and follow an eating plan that he’s sending me, which will have more fish in my life, less sugar and more healthy fats. I really, really like this doctor- he’s the first who has made me feel like he knows his stuff and has patience to answer all of my questions. My traditional doc and the homeopathic doc are working as a team to get the hormone imbalances where they need to be.
I told him that all bets are off Foodbuzz weekend, but for now, I’m listening to what he says. Seasons 52 fun killer. Haha.
Well, I’m off to walk the puppers 🙂
See ya tonight!
xoxo,
Gina
What are your Halloween plans?? Costumes? I’d love to hear the deets 😀
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I’ve heard so many good things about Seasons 52 – I think I need to move to Florida! LOL
Sorry to hear about the test results. You’ll be better in no time! 🙂
This is totally off subject, but how do you get your picture on here?
That butternut squash looks amazing! It’s nice to have an explanation for being a night-owl. Also, it’s great that your traditional doctor homeopathic doctor are working together. So many people are wary of homeopathic medicine, but I find that it works so well with my body and mind.
I am going as The Icebox for Halloween (remember Little Giants?)!
I’m looking forward to hear some posts of gluten free recipes! I know there’s alot more organic gluten free things out there now, so it makes life a little easier!
Youre lucky to have found a nice homeopathic doctor. I tried to go see one lady and 1) the price was exxxxpensive and 2) I felt like she didn’t take my concerns seriously which is aggrevating
I hope you start feeling better, having hormones outta whack is not a nice feeling!
I need to find a doctor like that — I would love to learn more about whats going on inside me!
And the berries look good — honest!!!
I’m doing a saliva test today, I hope my results come back as informative as yours did! What kind of doctor are you seeing in addition to your homeopath? My hormones are out of whack and my endocrinologist is not helpful 🙁
That’s amazing that your doctors are working together to help you figure out what’s going on. Atleast you finally have some answers!
i’m being ke$ha! I have fake leather leggings, red cowboy boots, a tshirt that i cut up that says “Sin City loves me”, a leather bomber jacket, lots of jewelry and what else but a bottle of jack 🙂
So interesting! You’ve been avoiding gluten for a while, but I thought it was always kind of an “instinct thing” –that you didn’t have any symptoms. You were right on! I think sometimes our body helps us that way to know what we need (or don’t need). So sorry about the sugar thing –just in time for the holidays too! 🙁 Oh well, it’s not like it’s an everyday thing for you anyway.
That’s so great he could give you an explanation and prognosis! Dinner still looks fab 🙂
Hey Gina – sorry you are gluten intolerant..I am too. I’ve been GF for over 2 years. It seems like you already know A LOT about gluten and how to avoid it, but just wanted to make sure you know even tiny crumbs can affect us. Like, for instance, using a wooden cutting board that someone has cut bread on….even this minute amount can cause adverse reactions. I’m sure you already know this, but it took me awhile to feel 100% and I think it was b/c I was overlooking things like that. Good luck!! Hope whatever symptoms you were having are no longer!!
Those are really interesting things to know! I’m sorry about the gluten thing. That must be really tough 🙁
I didn’t know you could be tested for coeliac disease via saliva. I thought you had to have a blood test? Interesting to know…
Thanks for sharing about your hormone imbalance stuff. I find it very re-assuring to know others out there are going through similar things. If you ever feel comfortable posting about what is going on, I’d appreciate it. I found out that my estrogen/FSH/progesterone levels are EXTREMELY low (like pre-menopausal) and I am only 30. I have been told to try to eat more fat (healthy fats), but I never heard the bit about sugar. Interesting, thanks so much for sharing!
I’m sorry abut the gluten and sugar. 🙁 I’m quite interested in homeopathy – I should look into finding a doctor.
Hi
I have been off gluten, dairy and soy for a little over a year now. LIFE CHANGING! You will feel better within a week or two. Have you seen Food Matters yet? Check it out– I watched it twice! I know you like the Millet bread and Ezekial- you will be able to eat those again — cleanse the gut of gluten and then you can eat those two items again (in small amounts).
Hmm, I totally get my second wind at night too! I would have never considered that it may have something to do with hormone imbalances. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I was a white kitty cat last night and tonight I’m a bummble bee in fishnets…silly of course, but that’s what it’s all about.
Happy Halloween!
I’ve had many saliva tests done for things from my naturopath and also from a traditional chinese medicine doctor. The results are always so eye-opening and for me, life changing. When I found out 5-6 years ago that the reason I had so many things going on was b/c of food intolerances/food allergies and that I pretty much had to eliminate large food groups from my life, i.e. gluten was the primary and also kiss dairy goodbye (I was already vegetarian for my whole life, just not vegan)…I was in shock and resisted it. Til I realized that by doing it, I felt so much better! And then everything else started to fall into place and it was all worth it.
But in the beginning it can be stressful, overwhelming, and I personally went into a bit of a denial state. This was also 6 yrs or so ago, food allergies were not as commonly disucssed, there were no food blogs or groups in which i could “compare notes” and get support…so I’m glad you’re in good hands and feeling so good about your treatment team!
Anyway if you ever wanna chat, I have a few thoughts about the saliva tests and have done tons of reading and research (after the fact) about them all.
Have a Happy Hween!!!
🙂
Wowzer! Great food 🙂
Hey, can you recommend your doctor? I am so happy, finally some one has interested in homeopathy medicines besides me.. I thought I was a freak!
I am unable to locate doctors that would write me a homeopathy/natural prescriptions.
Appreciate it 😉
I’m looking for a homeopathic doctor in my area.. I can’t stand traditional medicine and doctors.. As far as Halloween I’m going to be a smore!
You do realize that homeopathy is a pseudoscience, right? That there’s no logical or scientific backing to it whatsoever?
No, you probably don’t, which is why you think that “traditional” medicine – you know, the kind that actually works – is bad.
i never said traditional medicine was bad- hence the reason why i’m working with a traditional doctor too
There’s a lot of things that can’t be proven by science, but actually seem to work. So don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. People used to say science told them the world was flat…we’ve since changed our tune on that one. 🙂
speaking as an experienced registered nurse getting a masters in alternative medicine, i see both sides, and i am a firm believer that most of the sick people in this country would do much better with alternative health rather than have numerous amounts of chemically designed pills put down their throats. and “traditional” medicine does NOT always work, rather make people much worse than they already are. i get very defensive when ignorant remarks are made, and gina seems to be very educated and know what shes doing by getting a healthy opinion from both sides
thank you and you’re exactly right- that’s why i’m seeing two doctors, not just one
Sorry to hear Gina, I hope the treatment plan works quickly and effectively for you. As always, I love your wonderfully optimistic view about everything, it makes me work twice as hard to be the same in my life – thank you!
Wow, those are some interesting findings from your doc. I’ll be really interested to see how the changes in your diet affect how you feel. You make me want to find a naturopath near me!
Those berries looks so good!
Wow I can’t believe your doc found all those things. What a bummer. But you are SUCH a fabulous chef that I know you will make delicious things to fit your needs.
Sounds like interesting stuff…I definitely believe that sugar messes with all of our systems though, sadly 🙁 Hopefully the homeopathic doctor’s advice works and you get to the root of the problem!!
Interesting information from the doctor. Sorry about the gluten free and the sugar thing. 🙁
I’m super into homeopathy – but the docs are so expensive and my insurance doesn’t cover it! Do you think it’s worth it?
And for Halloween, I am dressing up as a troll doll! Going to have crazy hair and everything!
so far it has been- i’ll defniitely post the final news and results when i see progress
I’ve seen people in the past and they only were a waste of money. Just more circles and guesses. BUT, I have heard from another person about success she has had with one naturopath. She lives far away though, so I would have to do a phone consult. So, I’m worried because I wasted so much money in the past. But I almost want to try. Think a phone consult can be effective? Its worked for others I guess.
My problem is with hormones but also a ton of other things. I have no energy at all and I’ve lost weight. I cannot be physically active because my energy is so low. I’m trying to eat more to gain weight, and I feel badly for going overboard like I do with sweets or things I probably shouldn’t. I don’t exercise to relieve it. I feel like a big failure or like I’m going to blow up or something. Not sure anymore, at my witts end. Wish I knew it was all okay or normal somehow.
hey girl,
definitely do some research and see if you know anyone that has seen a good doc. i’m using one that was referred to me by a friend and she had amazing results from it.
hope you find something to help you soon <3
Hi, thanks for the response. The girl lives in my area of the country, she talks about her healing journey here: http://www.sweetlyraw.com (I think that is the link). And she links to the naturopath. I’d like to have a fitness enthusiast, but its hard to know. If you have any thoughts on this one in her link, let me know (since you are in these areas). Is your professional an athlete or into fitness? Sometimes I’m wary of people because you never really know what their like. But, I won’t know unless I try. If you have thoughts, let me know.
nope, mine is a doctor but i don’t think he’s a fitness enthusiast
i know heather from sweetly raw 🙂 my doctor also suggested i start eating meat again, but i said no and that i’d eat fish instead
p.s: when I say you are in “these” areas, I mean the health field or familar with.
Hi Gina. You’re so sweet to respond. I feel honored. So, you think that naturopath that Heather is seeing might be legit good? I wonder if she is an athlete. It would have to be a phone consult, which is too bad. But maybe worth the try?
I’m not vegan at all. In fact, I eat animal proteins at nearly every meal. Perhaps that is not good. I feel badly for that, but I don’t know what to think anymore. Is it wrong I wonder to have eggs, chicken, fish at each meal 2-3 times a day? I wish I could straighten myself out 🙁
Hope the diet changes work for you! I’ve been GF for close to four years now ( Celiac disease )and it’s been wonderfully life changing! I also try to follow a low sugar diet because I feel so crummy when I consume it regularly. You might life Enjoy Life’s Brown Rice Bread or Brown Rice Pecan bread, it’s GF and my favorite when I want to have a little real bread! 🙂
Glad you have a great homopathic doctor, It is great when you can go that route.
Best of luck.:)
Have a great Halloween and I love that Salmon dish everytime you post it!
So happy to hear you can work on helping your hormones with your diet, I hope you have fast success! Does this mean you are giving up gluten entirely? Oh and this doc sounds great, does he by any chance do out of state consults?! 🙂 (I am assuming he’s in Valdizzy)
P.s. Now I want bnut squash fries right now!!!
yes he does out of town- i’ll give his info out after i’m done working with him and am happy with my progress
Awesome! I am looking forward to hearing how you do and really hope you feel better 🙂 Would love to see the supp’s you start taking and hear if you like them too because I will ONLY take plant based stuff so am always looking for good brands.
Good luck with your health. I recently had saliva tests done, too. My cortisol is low in the morning and high at 4pm! So I am also taking supplements and eating more protein, no gluten, dairy or sugar. I am doing great without gluten, but I am having a tough time with the dairy and sugar! Please give us the details about what you are doing. Maybe you can help me find alternatives for my sugar and dairy cravings!
wow it sounds like we’re pretty similar!
i’ll definitely create a lot of new fun recipes 🙂
I’ve had to be off gluten for a while now and feel so much better. I didn’t see much gluten in your diet anyway but I know your a master at creating briallant recipes. I can’t wait to see how your body responds, i bet its going to be a great change! I would love to find a homeopathtic doctor here in austin. 🙂
Hey Gina! Love the blog! I’ve been reading for a few months and thanks to you, I looove almond milk.
How did you know you had a hormone inbalance? I have PCOS and even though I have an abnormal amount of hair in places it shouldn’t be, have a hard time loosing weight, and don’t get my cycle (ever) my doc has told me my blood work is normal. So frustrating because I don’t feel normal.
Love the bloggy! Keep up the great work!
hey melody,
i didn’t know i had a hormone imbalance. i just knew that i wasn’t ovulating when i should and that at night my stomach got really, really bloated. after talking to my friend about it, she recommend her doctor, whom has been AMAZING so far
After everything that happened to me my body is still out of whack. After talking with a few people I am currently on day 3 of no sugars aside from fruit. My goal is to do 7 days, take a break because of the festival, and then continue from there, giving myself a sugar only one time a week. It is going to be SO hard for someone like me who likes a small piece of chocolate or something after every meal, but it is important for me to feel good about myself again. It is also important for me to get my body completely ready for what the future will hopefully offer, and I think that I need to get my sugar consumption under control. We can suffer together!
we’re in this together friend 🙂
i CAN’T WAIT to see you!
xoxo
That looks like an awesome meal! I think more restaurants should definitely offer butternut squash!
I would love your advice on what types of doctors to see –my parents are doctors and so find any type of “holistic” doctor to be hokey and fake…but I’d love to findout why my stomach can be so freaking sensitive and why sugar literally kills me.
Hopefully the diet alterations won’t be too painful…I trust you’ll still find a way to get in your sweets:)
definitely do some research and see what doctors are in your area that have amazing reviews, or if you know a past client. it must be hard when both of your parents are docs, though!
That must be so nice to get some answers! Bummer about the dietary restrictions though! Does this mean you have to cut out gluten permanently?
I know that my hormones are definitely out of whack, but I haven’t really been able to get a good explanation from my doctor. I’d love to see a homeopathic doctor like that!
i’m not sure- i need to ask him that. we’re talking again in two weeks.
My Dad thinks that he may be gluten intolerant, but he doesn’t want the DNA test. Did you suspect that you were had celiac disease before your found the results?
yeah but was in denial. i usually chose gluten free foods intuitively more than anything, maybe because i knew i didn’t feel great when i ate gluten.
Sorry to hear about the gluten intolerance/ laying off the sugar. From what I’ve seen on the blog though, you have some experience with gluten free cooking, so at least you have some knowledge about it already!
You also made me interested in seeing a homeopathic doctor!
That butternut/salmon combo looks outrageous. i love the caramelization of the butternut. yum!
the hubs and i are having a horror movie fest tonight – going to see two movies in the theater (almost like before we had kids) and then tomorrow, dressing up “homicidal maniacs dressed up like suburban parents”…I think we’re going to rock it…since we’re just wearing our regular clothes and putting a fun name to it 🙂
I’ve known for some time that my circadian rhythm has been amiss, but wasn’t aware that there were supplements available to help — keep us updated on your progress.
that sounds awesome!!
i definitely will 🙂
I’m surprised if you’re avoiding sugar that you can have fruit. I realize that the fiber helps to slow down the glucose rush into your bloodstream. But essentially, fruit is sugar. Did he explain why this hormone that helps process sugar (which hormone, by the way? insulin?) is only sensitive to table sugar (sucrose) versus fruit sugar (fructose)? I’m just curious as (I know I’ve mentioned this before) I’m studying to be a Naturopathic Doctor right now, so this is stuff I will be doing someday! How exciting, hope you have a great experience!
insulin and something else- i’ll know when i get the paper results in the mail. i was talking to the doc outside of work and didn’t have any paper :/
and he said no fruit. if i have to have some, he said berries but that’s it for two weeks.
really cool that you’re studying to be a naturopathic doc!
Hey Gina,
I know you’ve read Natalia Rose before, so you may have already read her Detox 4 Women? It’s a low sugar book, with many recipes in. They’re not all raw nor vegan, but I’ve found them pretty tasty. The book was a really good read too.
You have me curious about seeing a holistic doctor. I’ll look forward to hearing how you go.
good to know- i’m off today so maybe i’ll hit up beefcake and noble 🙂
Bummer on the gluten intolerance, but if it will make you feel better than it will be worth it 🙂
Kids will be 1. Vampire 2. Batgirl 3. Dragon and me and my sister in law are the black eyed “P’s”. We have white t-shirts and drew a P on them ,then we are painting one of our eyes black. Simple, but dang awesome 😉
Jen
that is definitely awesome 🙂
Hi Gina, I love your blog by the way. That is so weird that you posted this information. I have been researching like crazy whether or not fruit can affect different people in different ways. I have been vegan for like 6 months and at first felt great – finally eating things I used to avoid b/c of low carb brainwashing – like fruit, ezekial wraps, trail mix with dried fruit etc. Then within the past 3 months I have gained 6 pounds to be at an alltime high for me. And six pounds on someone with a small frame is A TON. I have been so upset and confused – I eat super healthy and exercise. So I started researching to try and find out if my body is super sensitive to the sugar in fruits. Also…. I suspect I have some sort of gluten intolerance as well (and have suspected this for a while) but I have been eating Ezekial wraps b/c I love them. Your post makes so much sense to me. It sucks that I need to go back to some foods I used to eat a lot more – egg whites, organic chicken breast, fish… but I think that my body responds better to those types of foods over tons of apples and healthy grains.
Thanks for this information – please keep us all posted on what else you find out!
Just want to make a point so that people aren’t confused. Gluten intolerance and coeliac disease are not one in the same. Coeliac can only be diagnosed through testing of tissue in the small intestine obtained through endoscopy. Saying that, having a gluten intolerance does suck, but is not the same as coeliac.
you’re right- i don’t have celiac, just intolerant to gluten
That is soo exciting that you have a homeopath doctor. I have a Naturopathic Dr. that I see and I love her. Some of the treatments are interesting since they aren’t the normal bottle of pills, but I have felt sooo much better since seeing her. I think these types of doctors try to re-balance your body and fix the problem instead of treating symptoms. I went off gluten for a while to see if I was having reactions to it. I’ll be excited to see your posts on gluten free foods.
I just found out that I have a gluten intolerance too! I was having the WORST stomach trouble. I battled it for almost a year. Especially because I became a vegetarian and I would eat more pasta and breads to sustain my appetite. I was bloated, constipated, and my tummy always hurt. (Sorry if this is TMI!) But I even went to endoscopist and had a colonoscopy (and I’m only 22!!). A couple of hundred dollars later the doctor gave me some stupid pills and told me it may just be my nerves…. thanks…
Then my sister (AKA my diagnosis queen!) told me about people who have an intolerance or allergy to gluten and I may want to research it. SO I decided to cut it out of my diet just to see what would happen, and I haven’t had a problem since!! It’s been about 3 months and I feel so amazing!
thank you so much for the wedding-day shout out, gina!! 🙂
The first few weeks are the hardest, but a gluten free diet get much easier with time.