kitchari
So as I depicted in my last post quite some time ago, I definitely was not better at all. My "goal" to get better by my birthday in March also was seemingly more and more difficult as it approached, and then passed. I still was not better.
Also aforementioned, I finally succumbed to the western doctors and, eventually, time and time again realized the incompetence of Kaiser. I have never every been so extremely frustrated, confused and dumbfounded about how a collective group of people could be so uneducated, not helpful and just overall unaware. Over the past few months I've made countless phone calls to Kaiser (never once was I able to speak to an actual doctor), and never was able to achieve anything or get the answers I needed. It even got to the point where I was given multiple pieces of incorrect information on how to submit a stool test (which led to a false negative of course), and my doctor not even knowing which stool tests he ordered. Eventually I submitted those two instances as formal complaints, and at least got some reconciliation from. However it's unfortunate that had to even happen to begin with.
Nevertheless, it's really easy for me to get off on a tangent about how much I dislike western healthcare and how its the absolute opposite of helpful. I'm really actual here typing because of good things that have happened in my life that have distracted me from being on this platform. Despite it being a shaky start to 2018, there have been so many positive changes that have happened just in the past month.
First and foremost, I've been feeling A LOT better. Not just sometimes, but CONSISTENTLY. I really think it's been over 2 weeks that I've been feeling great and not having almost any problems. I was actually supposed to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy this morning and cancelled it because I didn't want to jeopardize all the healing my gut has gone through by ingesting multiple bottles of laxatives. No thanks.
The way I see now is that after 9 stool tests later (yes NINE), and the last 6 all being negative, there's probably no longer a presence of whatever bacteria or parasite was living there for so long. Coupled with the fact that for the most part I've been feeling GREAT, I think it's safe to say that the hardest part is over. That's not to say that I'm 100% better - by no means is that the case. I think with the last 9 months of havoc this bug has brought to my gut has left with with the digestion of an infant. That's not an exaggeration either. The reason I have not posted any recipes is because I've literally been eating like a baby, which I'm sure is not really going to make for an interesting post.
My diet has mainly (and ironically) consisted of meat, meat, meat, and rice. More specifically lots of chicken, white rice and bone broth for days. I eat vegetables very minimally, but when I do it's definitely not going to be in raw form. No way. The vegetables that I've deemed safe are carrots, asparagus, kale, sweet potatoes and maybe a few others. But I've been pretty plain and boring lately.
Not only has the protein heavy diet caused my grocery bill to spike but I've also been overindulging in Living Cultures Coconut Yogurt. Never have I eaten something so rich yet so healthy. The reason I choose this one (and spend the $20 or so dollars on it) and not another brand is because: 1. There is no bullshit inside. No extra additives or preservatives or garbage. 2. It's one of the only things I've found that contain Bacillus Coagulant GBI 8086 which is a special bacteria that is particularly resilient and helpful for gut healing. I love this stuff so much and couldn't more more thankful that it's made locally so I can have as much as my little heart (or tummy) desires.
Other constants in my life are the continuous myriad of supplements I take that do me so well. I've finally introduced L-Glutamine powder into my routine (1/3 teaspoon / 3x a day) and its a life saver. Seriously, I think this is really what is healing my gut so well and literally acting as a Band-Aid. It also doesn't hurt that it's helping increase my water intake from 64oz/day to 96oz/day.
I'm still taking the Diatomaceous Earth except I started a different protocol about a month ago where you do 10 days on (1 teaspoon/day) and 10 days off. So far so good. I'll probably take this stuff for the rest of my life.
As for the pills in my life I've reintroduced a Magnesium-Calcium-Vitamin D supplement back into my life because I remembered how amazing Magnesium is for your digestion (and pretty much anything to hormones, mood, etc). I also remembered how D deficient I was when I got my last blood test - that actually really alarmed the doctors too. Anyways, 6 pills a day has been keeping me happy and without complaints. My two favorite pills have got to be the yeasts and probiotics that I've been taking for the past 3 months. Saccharomyces Boulardii & and and extra strength probiotic. When I first found out about the Blastocystis bacteria, one of the most effective ways to treat is was using the S. Boulardii - I'm on my second bottle and stoked.
I really could go on talking about my tum all day long, which is really what I do sometimes if you let me, but just to shed some light on other wonderful things that have happened to me in the past month..
I've decided to quit my job of 5 years. This is more bittersweet than anything. I love this job so so so very much and it's a sad thing for me to leave, but I've got to do it now, otherwise I'll be sticking around for another holiday season and I"ll probably never leave and be there for another 10 years...
I'm going to pursue my Yoga Teacher Training! I don't know where, when and how yet. I've saved some $$ and will either choose a place here in San Francisco, or if my tummy is really feeling up to it, there's a place that I would like to attend that's in Baja. More to come..
I got married! Everyone thought it was an April Fools joke because we chose to get married on the 1st, but we actually did it. It was very minimal and low-key, but that's exactly what we wanted. And now I'm married to my best friend.
Anyways! I couldn't just post something without including a recipe. One dish that I didn't mention above that has drastically helped me over the past 9 months is an Ayurvedic recipe called Kitchari.
Kitchari is a very simple, easy to make dish, that does not taste that way whatsoever. Despite sometimes consisting of just rice, lentils and spices, it's a very flavorful meal and even long before I fell ill I would make this on a regular basis.
I've leaned so much on this dish though because in Ayurveda it's supposed to be a dish that is gentle enough on the digestion to eat almost every day as a cleanse, as well as balance all 3 doshas. I used to think all of that was very bizarre because it can be a seemingly heavy dish, but now I understand it's healing properties on the gut.
Kitchari can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Keep in mind this particular recipe fits my needs and can be altered to anyone's taste - I'm simply posting what is traditional and what I've been taught. The base is long grain WHITE basmati rice and mung daal (which is the split yellow lentils). There are a handful of spices and adding veggies is solely up to you. Sometimes I add them if I want to make a more complete meal, other times it's just simple lentils and rice.
The recipe below serves 4, but I always make it in this amount for 2 so we have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.
Kitchari
serves 4
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup mung daal
1 tsp ground ginger or 1" fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp turmeric powder or 1" fresh turmeric, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
3 cups liquid - this could be water or vegetable stock or bone broth
asafoetida powder (hing), optional
1 cup vegetables of your choice - I used peas in this case since they are in season. In another photo I've attached I used red Russian kale. Other options that work well are carrot, potatoes, zucchini, you get it.
Start by heating a medium pot over medium heat. Add the ghee or coconut oil, let melt and immediately add all of the spices except the salt (even if using fresh ginger and turmeric). Toast for 30 seconds, just until everything is fragrant, but not enough to burn everything (which will happen if you're not careful). If you're worried about burning, just take the pot off the heat while everything sizzles.
Add the rice and mung daal to the pot and mix around to coat the rice with the spiced oil. Sometimes I add more fat at this point if it looks like the mixture is a little dry and not everything is getting evenly coated.
At this point add the cooking liquid - I use bone broth just to get that added health benefit, but it also isn't necessary. Make sure you're monitoring the sodium content of whatever liquid is used and make sure the right amount of additional salt is added. Once the liquid is added, taste it for seasoning and then add the vegetables.
Put the lid on, crank up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil for a moment. Once boiling reduce to the lowest possible heat setting. This is a great time to use a simmer plate if you have one. I have this one that is made from cast iron and I absolutely love it. Even though I usually make my rice in a rice cooker, I still love this method when I'm making any Middle Eastern rice dishes were you need that crispy, slow-cooked bottom portion of the rice. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm sorry.
Anyways, walk away from the pot. Leave it alone, covered, for about 20 minutes. If you put your ear (very carefully!) right next to the pot, hopefully you won't hear anymore water bubbling and it should be silent. After 20 minutes turn off the heat and walk away again, let's say for at least 5-10 minutes to continue to let steam cook everything without direct heat.
After waiting patiently, remove the lid and fluff the rice with either a big wooden spoon, fork, whatever. Add a little asafoetida powder if you're into it (I love it and found out that most people don't...).
Serve!
