Put the Nix on PPD!!!

I've had 5 children.  With the first I don't think I ever got out of PPD land... our second came 5 years later.  I worked on my candida issues and kicked that between baby 2 and 3 ~ I felt wonderful.  For our 3rd child ppd was very limited to non-existent until we moved and between stress and diet my B12 levels plummeted, our 3rd child was diagnosed with a genetic mitochondrial disorder and I was bummed... it then became a self sustaining cycle.  I decided I wasn't going to go through it again when we found out we were pregnant with our 4th child and started working hard on diet and nutrition.  I've been doing well with baby 5.  Only had a couple of 'episodes' and they were more hormonal issues that actual signs of PPD.  
These are the things that worked for me... maybe they will help you?

• b12 supplement 2-4 droppers per day
• pineapples, bananas, cashews, walnuts, salmon, etc... happy foods and foods high in omegas
• 2-4 TBL of ev coconut oil daily
• 2 TBL of Barleans Flax Oil daily until under control then 1 TBL per day
• Check out the blogpost on Candida: http://semyck.blogspot.com​/search/label/candida
• gluten free
• raw Dairy
• plenty of probios
• free range eggs
• free range chicken and beef
• Sun Sun SUN!!! Get outside at least 20 mins per day and get as much healthy sun as you can. Vit D
• Vit C.... vit C beverage from frontier is yumms!
• Walk, dance... Kindermusic/Mommy and Me classes with baby.... FUN!!!

It should also be noted that some time between baby 2 and 3 I had also dropped caffeine the rest of the way... I think that helped a lot as well!  Choosing herbal tea over black or green tea (I never have drank coffee).  Rooibus Tea is very high in antioxidants.   No sodas - I would drink "Happy" Pineapple juice instead... now I don't feel the need for either.  Instead of coco (chocolate) I will eat carob.  I make this wonderful treat called Carob Coconut Balls ~ they are a family favorite.  

Carob Cocont Balls

 Only 4 ingredients:  

1. 1/2 C carob powder  
2. 3 cups Shred/dry coconut
3. 3/4 C coconut oil at its liquid/semi liquid state
4. 1/2 c Agave Nectar

 Just mix all those things together in with a spoon in a stainless or glass bowl. Put in fridge or freezer to firm up for a bit *that makes rolling a LOT easier*. Then roll the mix into small balls in your palms. Yes, this is sticky, but you get a perk... you get to lick your hands afterward! LOL!!! Just place them on a dinner plate and watch them disappear! One batch in this house rarely sees the light of day!    

Morning Sickness ~ How I coped

Aside from the regular stuff like ginger and peppermint what can I do?
With our first baby I was sick sick sick the whole 9 months.  I was the perfect weight for my height when I got pregnant with our first baby, but that made no difference.  I was sick the whole time.  It started with a dinner of macaroni and cheese... but that is something that can get a bit graphic... I'll stop here.

With our second child I was sick at the beginning and again at the end.  I only worshiped the porcelain god a handful of times, but I was nauseous aplenty.

When our second child was about 6 mos old I switched our family over to a whole foods way of cooking and worked on an elimination diet for our first child.  I didn't know it at the time but I was cleaning house!  Yep, getting rid of the candida that had been looming inside of me (and the rest of us) for ages!  So, when I was pregnant with our third child I had NONE of the symptoms I had with our first two... other than some slight nausea which went away as quickly as it came upon me.

Speed up to 7 years later and we were having our 'second family'... baby 4 and 5 were back to back.  They are now almost 2 years and almost 2 mos old.  I had gestational diabetes for both of them (Dr says my age has a lot to do with that) which brought on nausea from about 21 weeks along on... It happened only when I didn't follow my diet plan.  As long as I watched my carb points I was good to go.  WHEW!  Cause at 40 something with 3 (and 4) others to look after (one being differently abled) I needed a break from that morning sickness gig for sure!

This is what I found really helped me out a lot.  And I mean a lot!

I kept the good high protein - high Omega 3 foods coming.  

Raw nuts and seeds - bring them on!  

Go Coconut!  

Hello Pineapple!

Meal Plan

The following is my basic daily eating/meal plan.

1) drink lemon water upon rising
2) eat two eggs (real butter, onion, mushrooms [oyster or button], cheese)
3) about 2 hrs later ~ small plain yogurt with fruit I added
4) lunch - salad with fish or chicken - my fav is spinach (freshly chopped) added to tuna salad.  I get the tuna packed in olive oil as it has nothing else in it, add real mayo, pine nuts or raw sunflower seeds, and the chopped spinach.  Sometimes I add a touch of honey or my home made pickle relish.
5) an hr or two later I'm feeling the muchies... raw sunflower seeds, raw cashews, raw walnuts, and a small amount of low sugar pineapple rings (maybe 1/2 a ring) or one/two whole madjool date/s or dried cranberries.
6) when hungry again maybe some cheese or yogurt with fresh fruit and carrot sticks or shredded carrot & red cabbage or even a small salad
7) Dinner ~ high protein again... steak/roast, chicken, fish... with some kind of raw veggie salad, baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon, cream of something soup and a veggie side.  Maybe not all of those in one sitting... but choosing at least three.
8) snack a couple of hours later consisting of some sort of nut/fruit combo... maybe even some home made raw milk ice cream or fruit sorbet.

One thing I noticed was that if I didn't always have something heading for my stomach I would get sick more frequently.  So, eating lots of small meals/snacks - esp the nuts and seeds throughout the day was a lot better for me than the typical gorge - fast ~ three meals a day thing.

Lemon WATER WATER WATER all day - lots... no sodas, etc.  If I cheated and had a soda or a mini reeses peanut butter cup I knew it... I would get sick and be that way for 12-24 hrs.

Gestational Diabetes
When I think back on the first two pregnancies I remember when I was tested for gestational diabetes and it was borderline.  I'm typically hypo-glycemic.  Diabetes is Hyper-glycemia.  So I wonder how that effects the glucose screening for gestational diabetes.  I also wonder if that isn't why I was so sick from the very beginning with our first children.  This last pregnancy I only had a couple of episodes where I felt nauseous as I kinda did a preemptive strike sort of thing - watching my carb points from the beginning and making sure to eat the right stuff  at the right time and keping my belly happy.  Eating lots of coconut products helped too as they are low in carb points.

This is what I was allowed on the GD diet plan [1 point = 15 carbohydrates]:  Breakfast ~ 2 carb points, snack 2 pts, lunch 4pts, snack 2 pts, dinner 4 pts, snack 2 pts.  When I wrote it all out it was twice the amount of food I was accustomed to consuming!  WOW!!

I never did eat all my breakfast carb points unless I really put on the cheese.  I noticed I was far better off eating scrambled eggs or even a chicken breast for breakfast rather than trying to get in those two carb points.

Probiotics
Coconut Kefir was fairly new to the mass market as was coconut milk by the carton.  Those things helped me out tremendously as they contain a fraction of the carbohydrates than that of regular milk and kefir/yogurt.
Wonderful for your digestion.  Coconut aids in keeping the population of candida to normal levels.
What a blessing ~ the power of coconut!
Whew!  I could continue to get my probiotics through food, even with gestational diabetes.  One of my typical smoothies could easily contain 8 carb points so they were OUT!  I had to find an alternative and Coconut came to my rescue. Smoothie city once more!

Keeping the good gut flora population up is hard to do when your body is under stress, as is the case when you are pregnant.  So, I try to eat a lot of kefir and yogurt.  Sometimes in smoothies and sometimes straight with fresh fruit and nuts and maybe a touch of raw honey, xylitol, coconut nectar, or maple syrup.

Kefir water is something that I haven't tried yet, but have heard a lot of wonderful things about.  A friend of a friend of mine sells the grains to grow your own.  Some day I'll order some.  But for now the raw milk kefir and yogurt I make and the coconut kefir I buy are what we use to get our probiotics.

Ginger Soda
As far as ginger and soda are concerned I found one beverage that I felt passed my test (and didn't make me feel badly).  It's called Outrageous Ginger Ale.  Pretty much a 'clean' soda with a very high concentrate of ginger in it.  If you are not used to high quantities of ginger I highly suggest that you mix it 50/50 with some fresh water.  That stuff will take the mucous off the back of your throat lickety split!

I've looked and looked and looked - there really isn't another soda or ginger beverage out there that does what this one did for me.  And best of all it doesn't have all the garbage in it and being that I mixed it half and half with water I could nurse one bottle all day long and that was good for me.

Supplements
I found these Supplements helped a LOT!
* Rainbow Light Prenatal (it is food based and has some anti nausea stuff built into it so you don't have to take that extra :D  It also contains the right form of vitamin K so baby doesn't need to have the K shot!  Big Bonus! ) http://www.vitacost.com/Rainbow-Light-Prenatal-One-Multivitamin
* B12 complex (dropper under the tongue - I use Now Foods but there are lots of good ones out there - just ask the hf store owner to help)
* Barleans Flax Oil (Omega Swirl is my choice most recently... it is GREAT!)

Say Goodbye to Candida

What is Candida?  Is it bad?  Why say 'Good Bye"?

Candida naturally occurs in the intestinal tract.  In small, naturally occurring quantities it is quite harmless.  However, when it grows rampantly out of control it takes over our digestive flora and inhibits the absorption of nutrients and proteins from our foods and makes it harder to digest fats.  In some cases we can only absorb 50% of the nutrients from what is being put into our bodies.  

This does two things.  
1)  It leads our bodies to feel we need to ingest more food, typically the things that bring on more candida, thus gaining weight and 
2)  leads to nutritional deficiencies.
It becomes a never ending cycle that we need to end.


Research has shown that more than 80% of the US population has a problem with candida.
  
How did we get here?  
The over use of antibiotics in the US has increased the occurrence of candida.  In taking antibiotics we inadvertantly also kill off the good bacteria in our bodies... the stuff that helps us ward off diseases and keeps us healthy.  Yes, we kill off some of the candida as well, but unfortunately candida bounces back a lot faster and easier than its beneficial counterparts.  


We also have an infatuation with white fluffy breads and sugar.  According the the USDA the average American consumes 156 pounds of sugar each year... Just imagine 31 - five pound bags of sugar stacked up.  Now, that isn't to say that we sit and eat all that as white sugar... we also consume it as high fructose corn syrup and other sugars.  What it is saying is that we are eating far too much of it.  And feeding it to the candida!  Yes, whenever we eat breads, sugars, white rice, and otherwise processed foods we are 'feeding' candida and causing our bodies to have to work harder for the good stuff that might be in there.  We need to break that cycle.


Do I have an overgrowth of candida?
Chances are you do... as stated earlier 80% of Americans do and don't know it.  


Some outward signs of an overgrowth of candida might be:

• abdominal cramping (mild to severe - can be as painful, as some have put it, as labor pains - mine have doubled me over!)
• bloating
• gas/flatulance
• diarrhea (in some cases foamy/frothy looking) 
• thrush
• diaper/nappy rash
• sore nipples if nursing
• itching under arms and breasts etc
• vaginal yeast infections
• memory loss
• brain fog
• kidney and or urinary tract infections (or incontinence)
• hay fever
• hoarse voice
• skin rashes
• acne
• adult acne... you may find it particularly present off the corners of your mouth
• jock itch
• depression
• dry, itchy, flaky skin
• anxiety
• recurring irritability or mood swings
• heartburn or indigestion/acid reflux/GERD
• lethargy/fatigue
• food and environmental allergies
• joint soreness/pain
• chest pain
• migraines and headaches
• ADD/ADHD
• PMS or other menstrual problems
• can't lose weight no matter what you try
• Athlete's foot 
• Fungus on the toe and/or fingernails
• Chronic sinus problems
• Muscle weakness and flu-like aches
• Constant pain under the left rib cage
• lower immune system (catch colds easily)
• crave sweets and simple carbs
• Vertigo or balance problems
• Bad breath In spite of good oral hygiene
• Cravings for Chocolate, peanuts, pistachios or alcohol
• Adrenal or thyroid problems
• Hemorrhoids, fissure or rectal bleeding
• insomnia
• Puffy, dry or burning eyes
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Chemical sensitivity (especially colognes or fabric dye)

If you have two or more of the above symptoms chances are it is time to take control of your candida!

Do your body a favor... Say Goodbye to Candida!

How do we break the cycle of candida?

The first thing we need to do is to reserve antibiotics for only the most serious of life threatening infections.  No more antibiotics for ear infections, a minor or moderate cut, or any other non-life threatening incidences.  There are a lot of other things we can do for those situations that don't involve killing off important disease fighting bacterias and beneficial micro flora that we need to enhance not eliminate during times of stress (physical and mental).


The next thing we need to do is examine what we eat.  We need to ask a few of questions:  What are we eating that feeds candida?  What can we eat that will kill candida?  and What can we eat to enhance and encourage the beneficial bacteria to multiply?

   Things to eliminate (the feeders):

• all refined carbs:  wheat/gluten ~ simply said all breads and breading, white rice, etc.
• sugars including hfcs
• items containing yeast
• margarine or other hydrogenated oils
• Pasteurized Dairy (milk, cheese, hidden dairy in boxed foods, casein, etc)

   After following the above guidelines if one follows the "Keep It Simple Simon" protocol we would do just fine!  What is KISS?  It's a simple protocol for buying healthy food for our families.  Basically when you pick up an item at the store or farmers market you run a little diagnostics on it.  
Ask these questions:  

• Are all the ingredients listed things that my Great Grandparents would have recognized as food?  
• Are there four or fewer ingredients?  
• Can I read the ingredients and understand what they are without a special degree in bio-tec science or the like? 

If it follows those simple rules then it is most likely a real food, has passed KISS and is in your shopping cart.  If not, the store can keep the poison.  It is your vote... Make it count.


  Little Changes (additional changes that go a long way to helping your body heal)

• do not use iodonized or bleached salts.  These are the snow white salts you find at the grocery store.  They have been bleached and contain dioxins and no longer contain naturally occurring life giving nutrients.  Instead utilize Redmonds Real Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, or Himalayan Salt.
• eliminate or diminish your intake of caffeine (coffee and tea - herbal teas are wonderful.  Find organic sources of tea if you must have some.  And organic fair trade sources of coffee... regular not de-caf... just wean yourself down to 1 cup or less a day)
• Eliminate tobacco completely as well as alcohol (during the candida elimination process completely avoid alcoholic beverages... afterward nursing on a glass of wine - once a week most likely won't harm your digestive system.)

  Things to add (the helpers):

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil ~ you really can not over eat coconut oil.  Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Kills Candida!  Eating coconut oil in therapeutic amounts (4 or more TBL per day) or even maintenance amounts (1-2 TBL per day) helps to keep candida in check.
• Any coconut product:  coconut meat, oil, flour, butter, sugar, nectar, etc can help with candida.
• Whole grains, nuts and seeds (brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, raw sunflower seeds, fresh ground flax, raw walnuts, raw cashews, chia & raw pumpkin seeds etc), beans, and veggies (esp green leafy veggies and raw) help add fiber which helps with elimination of candida.
• Taking 1000 mg of vitamin C and getting 20-30 mins of sun each day are also important.
• Raw Dairy (milk, yogurt, kefir, cheese, whey, etc) and pastured meats (chicken and beef).  Find a farmer near you that you can get these things from.  Your palate with thank you not to mention your entire body.
• Probiotics such as Yogurt and Kefir as well as Kombucha tea add beneficial bacteria to the environment which aids as well.  Kefir water is a good option as well.
• We have used Garden Of Life's probiotic blend ~ Primal Defense.  As well as their Omega-zyme with wonderful results.
• Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar such as by Braggs.  Just mix a TBL with water and some honey or xylitol to taste.
• Xylitol ~ a natural sugar substitute - looks and tastes like sugar - you use the same measurements in baking etc.  Xylitol helps to kill off excessive candida!  You can find it at health food stores.
• Stevia is an herb that gives you the flavor of sugar.  To use to sweeten your beverage you just get the tip of your spoon damp and dip it into the stevia powder... you hardly need a bit of it to 'sweeten' your food and drink.
• Flax oil such as Barleans for your Omega's.  The High Lignan Flax oil adds fiber to help with elimination of the candida.    

The B-12 ~ Candida Connection.  Why is B-12 so important to my health?
A very important supplement to take is a B-12 complex (sublingual).  A B12 complex supplement is important because the candida has inhibited its absorption and when low the candida tend to flourish. When the proper balance of B12 is restored, the Candida can then be kept in check. Now that you know Candida and Vitamin B12 are related, this knowledge should encourage you to eat a more balanced diet to avoid the further complications associated with a B12 deficiency.  

Vitamin B12 is essential for good health in many different ways. It aids in helping the developing nervous system  and function properly.  It also aids in blood cell production (many that are anemic are B12 deficient). The best sources are in free range meats, organ meats, raw diary products, and in free range eggs. Though B12 deficiency can happen to anyone, strict vegetarians are often at risk because they don't eat any of those mentioned things.


There are many things that occur with a B-12 deficiency.  These include, but are not limited to cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.


Below is a list of symptoms to be aware of with a B12 Deficiency.


Neurological B Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms

• Mental confusion
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Headaches
• Depression
• Impulse Control
• Pins and needles in the extremities
• Balance issues

Gastrointestinal Symptoms of B Vitamin Deficiency

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Bloating
• Loss of Appetite
• Weight Loss
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

Other Symptoms of B12 Vitamin Deficiency

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Shortness of breath that results from only very light exertion
• White spots on the skin (typically the forearm) due to decreased melatonin

Dealing with THE CRAVINGS!

Yes, most likely you will have food cravings.  Not for just 'good' food, but for things that will feed the candida.  If you were one that enjoyed a daily candybar or two you will crave them.  If you ate bread ~ you will crave it.  Drank pasteurized milk and ate pasteurized cheese ~ you will crave them as well.  You will even crave that factory farmed steak!  The candida want you to eat and drink them to Feed them.  What we have found is that the foods we love the most are the ones that feed the candida and that we most likely have a food sensitivity too.

Pineapple is the answer!  Yes, you read right.  Eat pineapple whenever you are having a craving for the candybar, bread, pasteurized milk, etc.  It can be fresh, dried, non-concentrated juice, canned, etc.... just eat it.

Why Pineapple?  Because pineapple is special!  It has proxeronine**, a special element that helps curb cravings for things such as sugars and carbs ~ the bad things that feed the candida.  It is also a rich source of Bromelain, an enzyme that helps digest food.  Bromelain has been found to be an effective anti-inflammatory (therefor helping with arthritis as well as cancers and heart disease).  So, eat your Pineapple!

** Noni Juice is also high in proxeronine.  You have to be careful to choose a reliable source for noni juice ~ talk to your local health food store owner/manager to find out what product they recommend.  

How long will this take?
It takes 3-4 weeks to clean your system of excessive amounts of candida.  After which you will find it much easier to stick to a whole foods eating plan without a lot of cravings for the foods that increase candida.  
Your body will thank you and you will have an abundance of energy that you haven't seen in a long while.
If you stray on occasion you will know it.  Maybe not the first day or even the first few days, but your body will let you know.  You will start feeling the symptoms and you will know.  You might have a headache or feel sluggish or even have what my daughter has now coined, "gooie poo" - a kind of foamy diarrhea.  You may even be truck driver belching ~ like you just drank a 2 lt bottle of Sprite even though you haven't touched Sprite in ages. 
We all stray... birthday parties, holidays... these things happen.  We just must be vigilant and not consume too much of the candida feeders so we can enjoy the party and the day/week after a lot better.


In conclusion...

Candida is the single largest epidemic that Americans are facing. Just LOOK at the amount of people afflicted with Cancer, ADD/ADHD, Adrenal Fatigue, Diabetes & other Endocrine System problems, Obesity, Autoimmune and Fatigue. All it takes is ONE round of antibiotics and/or consuming a diet consisting of conventional meats and dairy products, which have antibiotics in them. Between antibiotics, birth control pills, and a diet high in simple carbs/sugars, pretty much everyone is at risk.

We have learned there are 3 steps to effectively killing off excessive candida:

1. Kill/Starve the existing candida

2. Eat a healthy diet that doesn't feed new candida

3. Repopulate your gut with good bacteria.

Defeating candida may not be an easy task, but it can be done and is often the only route to good health and a strong immune system. 


When the immune system is weak, candida will easily overrun the intestinal tract and indeed the entire body. It may burrow deeper into various organs. Wrapping around the spinal cord and the nerves and may even accumulate at the base of the brain. It can encompass the heart and liver and can affect the reproductive system even causing endometriosis.

Candida is not considered a disease in itself; it is a condition indicating an internal imbalance. Its symptoms may mask, overshadow or even accompany other diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Basically, if your immune system is busy dealing with candida, it does not have the strength to fight other critical illnesses.


Do your body a favor... Say Goodbye to Candida!

Blessings,

Wendy

Addendum...
We don't often think of this and I left it out while writing this article. When you eat meat from thegrocery store... or other non-organic non- natural pastured source you are getting a hefty dose of antibiotics via the meat.
so... you personally do not need to be the taker of the antibiotics... the animals have and you get it via the meat. The meat industry uses a HUGE amount of antibiotics to keep these factory farmed animals alive to butcher.

Have you ever watched "The Meatrix"?
If not, here's an eye opening link. Be aware... You may never look at that beef in the meat department the same again...
http://www.themeatrix.com/

March 19, 2012 6:20 PM