Some thoughts on Cals, Food Markets, Ramblings

I wish I had the wisdom and zen-ness ingrained into me, like Dr Meade and a lot of the other people I've recently encountered.  My anxiety can really be a major deterrent in my healing, and in my life, in general.  I sure hope I become more mellow as I adopt this lifestyle...and that's what attracts me so much to this way of eating---it's MORE than a diet...it's a  lifestyle, although, sadly, not many choose to incorporate the other aspects that I feel are vital

I am beginning to think that our modern society's views on cals is very skewed.  Even my chiro feels the same....he is more about nutrient-density than cal-density.  Don Bennett's cal range suggestions are on the "lower" range that most recommend, according to his website (my ideal wt is 90 pounds (I'm 68 now)...thus, I would ONLY need 1350-1620?  That seems SO low....did I calculate this right?)....http://health101.org/art_calories  I mean, what EXACTLY is a calorie?  They measure it by burning food into ash in a lab....but how does that translate into each INDIVIDUAL'S body?!  Do cals really matter....or do nutrients?  I tend to think the latter does!  Do other animals stress about cals?  NO!  They eat according to what their body tells them to eat...then the eat til satisfied....then they stop....then they eat when and what their body tells them to eat...then they stop.... it's sad how humans have become so far removed from that natural process.

When u think about it, nutritional science is not very old...it's still in its infancy!  We just really started looking at nutrition in the last century or so (maybe longer...i'm just guessing, but u get my point!).  Perhaps it's NOT cals that are the focus....perhaps it's carbs?  EFAs?  Bs?   ...the point is, who knows exactly what causes the body to maintain/gain/lose wt.  ANd like u mentioned, even the way we measure nutrients is just a guess, at best.  And what about the nutrient differences in conventional vs organic?

But then the question is....how do people who need to GAIN, gain?  How do people who need to LOSE, lose?  My mom is on Weight Watchers and is focusing on points...she's losing wt, but that's bc she eating nutrient-poor, processed foods...and low-low cal!  But is it healthy?  

My problem is that I am very underweight and have been conditioned since age 12 to push the cals, gain wt, eat past fullness, not trust my hunger cues, etc.  So, trying to change that paradigm is very difficult.

But, worrying about cals is a lot of undue stress--mentally and physically.  With my health, it might be best to just try to eat foods that my body tolerates while it heals (but add the higher cal/denser foods as tolerated)...and who exactly know how many cals I need?  It's all a guess, anyways.  

One friend (who is dealing with similar GI issues as me) wrote me this:  

I have malabsorption as well, and I myself have been stressing out about eating at the right time, getting enough sleep, enough calories etc.

I'm mainly just going to listen to my body.

The best advice I can give you is to stop stressing out about your issue, I know you are in pain and it's not fun!

But stress only makes it worse.  I highly suggest you try to start working with your issue instead of against it, accept it as a part of you, and continue on with your life.  That doesn't mean to give up trying to heal it, but it does mean that you won't have the need to stress about it if you're willing to acknowledge it is now a part of you.

And usually when you do that, it starts to get much better!  Physical and emotional pain is for us all to learn from!  Try to find as many things as possible that this condition has brought to you that are positive!  It may be hard, but there are many things!

We as people love to focus on only the negative things, however, if we change our viewpoint to the positive, NO MATTER WHAT PROBLEM, life gets amazing!

Here's a few things:

Your condition has given you a new look on health!

You've probably opened your mind to more spiritual and loving things in the world!

You've most likely become more understanding when it comes to pain and being different!

You've helped people like myself by showing me things you've been through and I learned some stuff from Dr. K from your site!

I know this is really hard to do, but be THANKFUL for EVERYTHING in your life the good and the bad, and ALWAYS look for the positive in it, because in the end everything has a reason and those reasons always lead to good!  

You always have yourself!  And you must take pride in everything you do that is good and that you love about yourself, just don't get egotistic.  Use your ego to your advantage, don't let the ego use you!

Wise words from a young soul.  I wish I lived near these amazing people who've given me such great insight...I need to absorb their aura! 

I've also had this identity of being The Sick Girl for as long as I can remember...thus, trying to change that into a more positive identity is very hard...what do I replace that with?  I guess it all comes down to reframing the mind...but it's a difficult task, for sure.  

I wish I knew which fruits to focus on...I feel like im so concerned with variety, that I lose focus.  Any tips?  Do I stick to the sweet/dense fruits for cals (like bananas, persimmons, dates) or do I chose the low-cal watery fruits for better "detox"?  Like, do I do watery fruits during the day, then play "catch-up" for dinner with a more cal-dense meal, like bananas+dates?  ....or, just not worry about cals right now?.....Im so confused

I cannot fast due to my low wt (67-68 pounds, 5'1, 25 yrs old)...and many have recommended this.  Dr K had me on a juice fast, and I only last 4 days bc it made my colon extremely lazy, constipated, and more inflammed.  My body likes food and fiber!  U dont treat constipation with lack of fiber.  However, IDK how to eat, what foods to focus on, if I should only do mono-meals, how frequently to eat, how much, how many cals, and how to plan my day......especially is trying to NOT overburden my GI (and hinder detox)....any advice?

What is a good multi-vitamin to take?  I heard Dr Furhman's is good http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/GCF.aspx  (But what is your opinion on the superfood complex..is this ok)?  What other ones could I get at Whole Foods or Fruitful Yield?  WOuld I take just half the dose?  I think this might help me as I transition.

I went to Stanley's Fruit Market in the city today...my first time driving alone to Chicago!  I was all proud of myself, until I hit major traffic and got nervous due to all the trucks engulfing my little Beetle.  

To top it off, I was disappointed at the fruit market.  I drove over 90min into Chicago and they didnt even have the Persimmons they said they had in stock (organic for $0.50 each!....they said they won't know when they'd be in.  Grr!!!  At Whole Foods, organic persimmons are $1.50 each!).  However, I was able to score organic bananas for only $20 a case (WFs sells them for twice that!)..so I bought two (here I come, banana icecream!).  :-)

I then went to an asian mart (H-Mart) and bought persimmons (4 cases, since they take forever to ripen)...$18 a case.  More expensive, but I guess I saved in the long run, for I wont have to waste time/gas/frustration driving into the city.  Still, kinda bummed.

So far, ok with food.   BM was not as easy as yesterday...For some reason, I seem to do best ADDING dates to meals instead of eating dates alone.  Yesterday, I had a meal out of 12 soaked dates and immediately got bad muscle pain in my neck/shoulders...my teeth also hurt while eating them.  I think adding dates to another sweet fruit slows down the sugar metabolism.  Too much sugar too fast can aggravate inflammation, according to my Chiro.  I agree...at least for now, I think my body is not ready to deal with too much sugar at once without some kind of "buffer" like greens or another lower-sugar/higher fiber fruit added to slow the pace.  Makes sense!

So what did everyone eat today?    He's what I did/am planning to do:

8:30am-900g watermelon

10:40am-2c homemade OJ (delish!)

1:30pm-300g persimmons and 4 dates (sat pretty well, even though I comboed it.  I didnt have enough ripe persimmons for a meal)

-Dinner will be (hopefully, if no cramps!)  400g (or so) frozen bananas + 8 dates, made into melted ice cream

-8oz spinach/celery/cucumber juice

totals: 

1910

Carb: 492g

pro:   23g

fat:    5g

93/4/2

Vit: 77%

Mineral:  67%

Fiber:  50g

Not bad!  Higher than my other days, for sure!  I think this is a good amount for me, at least for now.  The OJ was DELISH!

My worry is that my persimmons are not ripe...thus trying to replace these is not easy, for I dont want to rely on bananas and dates.  Grapes I seem to handle in limited amounts, for they tend to "get stuck."  Ugh

I have a consult with Chris Kendall tomorrow... very excited!  I hope he can wrap everything up into an easy-to-implement package, as well as give me guidance on the other lifestyle factors.   :-)

Luv to all!