My Digestive Journey

March 11, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

When I decided to change my diet a little over a year ago, my main goal was just to have better health. As far as I knew I had no major illnesses, I wasn’t overweight, and I had no big complaints. I felt that I ate fairly well, but when I read about eating clean I realized that there was a lot more I could be doing for my health I had no idea how big of an impact this switch would have on my life.

Once I cut out all processed food and focused on eating real, whole foods, I saw a lot of positive changes. I had way more energy, my acne started clearing up, my periods were less painful (sorry men, us girls have uterus’, deal with it), my body started to become more toned, and I never felt that gross nasty “food-baby” after eating a meal. I was ecstatic. For the first time I felt like I had found a lifestyle that I could follow forever. Sure, there were rough moments of temptation, and the longing for the ease of just going to a restaurant and ordering whatever. But the positives outweighed the negatives ten-fold.

Then things changed. After about three months of eating a whole foods diet, I started to get acne again, I was rarely pooping (yup, still like to talk about poop), and occasionally I would have horrible stomachaches after a meal. Katie before would have ignored these problems, but new Katie refused to feel anything but her best and healthiest.

Into research mode I went. I looked at my diet and tried to determine what could be causing my problems. After some trial and error (and a very long and terrible night spent in the bathroom following a homemade pizza) I decided to eliminate dairy for awhile.

Within a few weeks I was back to feeling like my old/new self. Why did I choose dairy first? Well, like I said I did a lot of reading/research and felt that for me this was a logical first elimination. I didn’t consume much dairy to begin with and realized a lot of my symptoms occurred after eating some form of dairy. So out went dairy, and to be honest, I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would. For me, I got more satisfaction feeling amazing and healthy than I did from devouring a grilled cheese sandwich.

What does this story have to do with you? Eliminating certain things from your diet can be one of the first steps to healing and strengthening your digestive system. Does this mean you have to stop eating dairy to have a healthy gut? Not necessarily. Remember, we all have different flora/microbes in our guts, meaning we will have different nutritional needs. For me eliminating dairy, as well as gluten, had helped put me on the path to better digestive health.

Take a look at your life and see what complaints you have about your health, whether it’s acne, achy joints, bloating or low energy. Then start to take notice when those complaints flare up and what you have eaten prior to that. Eliminate what may be your “trigger” food and give yourself a few weeks to test and see if your symptoms get better. I may just be a big nerd (ok, I am TOTALLY a big nerd), but it’s fun for me to be a food detective and figure out what might be doing me more harm than good. Don’t get frustrated if it takes awhile to pin point your problems. Just remember you’re doing this all for a healthier you!

Next week I’m going to talk about another step I’ve taken to heal my gut. I recently bought a kombucha tea starter and am in the process of growing (or fermenting) my own kombucha. I’ll share how that works and all the benefits I’m reaping from that! Until then, have a great week and see you next Monday!

Rules, Rules, Rules

February 4, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Don’t eat after 7 pm, space out your eating with 5 or 6 meals through out the day, don’t skip breakfast, wait maybe skip breakfast, eat egg yolks, nope don’t eat egg yolks, wait, take that back, you can eat the egg yolks.

Does it ever seem like there is a never ending list of rules and studies when it comes to eating? That’s because there is a never ending list of rules and studies all about eating. All of the information that is out there is overwhelming and often times contradicting. This confusion can really put a damper on your good effort to eat the best way possible. First, you’re presented with all of these diets from low-carb to no-fat to all-fat to everything in between. How do you know which one to choose? Then, there are what seems like daily nutritional studies released telling you the rules on how to eat. It’s enough to make your head spin and give up all of your good intentions about eating better.

How are you supposed to navigate through the plethora of information out there? You won’t like my answer because it isn’t an easy solution. You’ve heard me say it before, but you will have to spend time learning how different foods and eating techniques (not the fine art of chewing. Think more along the lines of what time of day to eat). Because I can’t tell you exactly what you need to do for your body, I’ll give you a general outline of how to figure out what you need.

Define your nutritional goals. Decide what it is exactly that you want to fix/work on. Make it a very clear goal such as: “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to have more energy.” If you know exactly what you want from your daily diet, you can eliminate anything that does not pertain to your specific goal

Research what diets that will help accomplish your goal. There are so many resources out today that can really help you find exactly what you need for better nutrition. Books, blogs, articles, doctors, dieticians. The list goes on and on. Even starting with a quick google search can get you started. Just make sure you are only looking at things that will help you further your goal. If you want to have more energy, but are researching the diets of super bodybuilders, you will probably NOT meet your goal and get really discouraged or confused.

Dive in and experiment. Once you find one or two methods that will help you meet your goals and are realistic (and not dangerous, like eating only through a feeding tube once a day), start experimenting and see how your body reacts. Do certain foods effect you negatively? Or do they give you the exact result you want? Does eating at a certain time in the day or in a specific way hurt or help your goal? As you go along you will be able to really fine tune what and the way you eat to maximize your personal goal.

Don’t get worried or sidetracked by new studies. When a new study comes out that says it has been shown that you will lose more weight if you eat while walking in concentric circles, don’t get flustered because you have been eating while walking in an oval. If what you are doing is working for you, i.e. you are achieving your goal, then don’t worry so much about every single little study that is released. I’m not bashing the scientific process here, I know that research studies are an important part of life and they do help us discover new and better things. BUT, you will drive yourself crazy if you try to adhere to every single “rule” or diet that comes out, and stress isn’t good for anyone.

All in all, the most important thing is that you do what is best for YOU. There is no one perfect way to eat for every human being. Some people will have different dietary needs than others and that is OK! We are all unique and we shouldn’t expect one quick fix for every person. I used to think that I had to follow every single piece of diet advice out there or that if I wasn’t following the newest diet people were judging me. Now that I have grown up and matured a little (not much, but a little), I have stopped worrying so much about following the crowds and care more about what works best for me. I’m the one who has to live with this body, and I should treat it the way it needs to be treated! With all the love and care I can!

Hopefully I was able to sort a few things out for you and give you some helpful tips on how to navigate through the nutrition jungle! I hope that you all have the best week and if you’re here in the Midwest, I hope you stay warm!

A Discussion about SAD

January 28, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I want to preface this post by saying that I am NOT a licensed professional and am NOT trying to diagnose or treat SAD. These are just my thoughts, opinions and observations about this. Furthermore, I have not been clinically diagnosed with SAD, these are just my observations on my own feelings.

Cold, grey, dreary. Yes, those words can be used to describe the winter weather here in the midwest. But it’s also how I sometimes feel during the winter, and who wants to feel like that for at least 3 (most likely more) months out of the year?

When I first heard about SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder in my freshman Psychology class, I didn’t really think that much about it. Sure, most people get the winter blues, but it isn’t anything too serious. I quickly put it out of my mind and moved on. Fast forward about five years to this winter. I could just NOT shake my case of the “winter blues” as I called them. I was tired all the time even though I got ample amounts of sleep. I was short and cranky with the people around me, i.e. Adam (sorry dear!). I felt cold and isolated in my own little wintry world and it wasn’t very fun. I thought I was just being dramatic and tried to put it out of my mind and force myself into a happy mood. Then I started seeing a few articles about SAD and I remembered back to my psych class. Could I be experiencing my own case of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Right about this time, Adam and I left for our honeymoon to Jamaica. I was really hoping that my grumpy mood wouldn’t ruin our trip. Now, there probably was a combination of things that went into lifting my mood immensely while we were in Jamaica. One: we were on our honeymoon, who could be grumpy then? Two: we didn’t have to go to work or deal with reality, we were in Jamaica! But I must say I felt amazing on our honeymoon, no sight of the “winter blues” any where.

The transformation my mood took while on my honeymoon made me really look into SAD when I returned back home. What was it that made me feel so much better in beautiful Jamaica and how could I recreate that here at home where winter was barreling down on us? Is there any possible way that nutrition could play a part in this?

For those of you who don’t know or are not very familiar with SAD here is a very simple break down. As no one really knows what causes SAD, there isn’t just one treatment. So, for my purposes I tried a few non-medicinal “cures” on my own to see what would happen. Now, like I said at the beginning of this post, I am NOT saying that these will work for everyone nor are they proven cures. These are just the few things that I tried that appeared to work.

Sunlight. Some doctors believe that SAD is caused due to the lack of sun during the winter months. The days are shorter and it’s cold so even when the sun is out not many people want to venture outside. During my time in Jamaica there was an abundance of sun and I spent a lot of time outside enjoying the rays (with my SPF 100. I’m quite pasty). Plus, during the summer I am out in the sun a lot as well and never experience any depression like symptoms. So each day (when the weather allows it) I try to get just a little sunshine. 15 minutes is really all you need. You don’t even have to venture out into the tundra, you can stand in a nice sunny window for a few minutes each day!

Increase in Calcium and fresh fruits and veggies. This goes along with the sunlight. We get our best source of Vitamin D from the sun (and a lot of our foods, like milk, are fortified with Vitamin D). We absorb Vitamin D optimally when it is combined with Calcium. So along with getting my few minutes of sunshine each day, I decided to up my intake of Calcium. I started drinking Silk brand Almondmilk (the unsweetened variety) which has 45% Calcium as well as 25% Vitamin D2. I also made sure I was getting a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables that were also high in Calcium like broccoli and oranges. Not only are fruits and vegetables healthy, they are great at helping to boost energy!

Talk (or write) it out. I mentioned earlier that I was cranky and short a lot with Adam. He would pretty much say something and because I was already in a bad mood I would just lash out or shut down completely. He had no idea that I had been feeling grumpy all day, so he was totally blindsided. I kept all my feelings to myself and that in turn made me feel even grumpier. So when I finally shared with him how I had been feeling down lately, it was a huge relief to both of us. I felt better for getting some things off my chest and sharing with someone and he felt better because he realized his wife was not some angry weirdo. I understand that everyone might not have someone with whom they can talk to on a regular basis. In that case I suggest starting a journal. I tried this out and have been writing a little each day. It has really helped to get things out, even if it’s just a few sentences in a notebook.

These three tactics have been working well for me over the past few weeks. Again, I was not diagnosed with SAD and I never sought professional medical attention. These were just my observations and feelings. I tried to tune into what my body needed for me to feel my best. There are many other ways that you can try such as light therapy, counseling, or prescription medication. It all depends on how YOUR body functions and what it needs to feel its best. If you think that you might have SAD or just want to learn more about it, I encourage you to visit your doctor or the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association’s (SADA) website.

I know this topic did not have much to do with nutrition, but I felt it was an important thing to address. I’m interested in total health, and while I really do enjoy the nutrition side to health, it is not the only aspect of a happy, healthy body. I hope this post was able to help a few of you out there, or, at the very least, served as a good learning experience!

I’m not sure what next weeks post will be about, but I promise it will be something good! Have an amazing week and I’ll see you soon!

Things that Cheer me up: Cooking!

These crazy cats!

These two!

This little lady! (my sister Jodie)

Mindful eating: How to get started

December 31, 2012 / ktbuchs87

I hope that everyone had a FABULOUS Christmas! I know that I was doubly blessed this year and got to celebrate twice! Once on Christmas with my family and then Adam and I celebrated our very first Christmas as husband and wife yesterday. It was a great day filled with cheer, board games, presents, delicious food, and Christmas shows. I could not have asked for a better day. Now on to today’s topic!

One of the many cookbooks I got, but I was REALLY excited for this one! Love root veggies!

Cooking my first Christmas feast. Yup I smile like that most of the time

I talked last week about mindful eating and what that means. Simply put, it is experiencing your food with ALL your senses and taking the time to fully savor your meal. So often we are distracted while eating a meal and this leads to you inhaling your food and not really remembering what you ate. This then leads to more (read: over) eating because you do not feel like you got a full meal. Clearly this is a problem and can lead to weight gain and numerous health problems. My humble opinion is that we all need to practice a little mindful eating.

But how exactly do you eat mindfully? It is actually very simple, although I will warn you that it does take practice and patience. When you are used to eating one way for so long it becomes a habit and habits can be tough to break/change. Here are some of the steps that I personally have taken to eat mindfully and they have really helped.

Eliminate all distractions while eating. Turn off your TV, log off your laptop, put away your cellphone/tablet/whatever electronic device you have in your clutches. When you are eating you should be totally focused on the plate in front of you. Distractions while eating cause you to over eat and not pay attention (hence the name distractions… like I said most of this advice is pretty simple). The one thing that I do have while I am eating a meal is music. I like to have the radio on in the background and it is usually tuned to the classical radio station (unless it is Christmas time and then you best believe Bing Crosby is singing to me about a White Christmas). I understand that music could be a distraction for some, but might enhance the eating experience for others.

When possible, sit at a table for your meal. Another simple but effective tool of mindful eating is having a designated area to sit and eat all of your meals. This allows your body to know that it is about to receive food and it can adjust accordingly. I know that a lot of you are eating on the go because you have super busy lives and I understand that sitting down at the kitchen table for every meal might not be possible. But try to make at least one meal a sit down meal. Once you start this habit, you will really notice how just sitting at a table helps to put your focus on the delicious meal you are about to eat.

Try to be involved in the process of putting a meal together. I totally get that not everyone loves to cook or be in the kitchen making a meal. Some people find it a chore or too hard or have the tendency to burn water whenever they are trying to make food. However, you do not have to make the whole meal by yourself to be involved in the process. Help cut veggies, make the sauce, pick a wine to go with dinner, set the table or even just spend time in the kitchen observing the meal being put together. Getting involved in the whole process really allows you, the eater of food, to be more connected to the food and get more out of the act of eating. When you are more aware of your meal, you are better able to appreciate eating that food. Which leads into the next step…

Use all your senses when eating. Don’t just limit your eating to your sense of taste. Yes that is one of the most important senses, but you really miss out on a lot if you are just shoveling food in your mouth barely tasting anything. Smell all the wonderful aromas of your meal before you take a bite, or look at the bright colors of the veggies on your plate. Really listen to the sizzle of that hot steak as it comes your way to the table. Touching your food might be frowned upon in some situations, but notice the texture of that pasta as you eat or feel how creamy your mashed potatoes are. All of these actions make eating so much more than the simple act of putting a fork to your lips. It will also allow you to feel more satisfied with less food. And finally…

SLOW DOWN. It is surprising how fast some folks eat a meal. I kid you not, I have seen a family sit down to dinner and finish in 7 minutes flat. A meal should not be along the lines of a hotdog eating competition. It takes your body at least 20 minutes to register that it has eaten something, so try to make your meal last at least that long. If possible try to stretch it out even longer. Take the time to savor your food and take note that you are eating. Also with this last tip, try to eat just one helping and not go back for seconds. The longer you take to eat, the more you feel satisfied with just that one helping of food.

These are just some guidelines for mindful eating and there are a lot more. There are actually whole classes and seminars dedicated to teaching the “art” of mindful eating. But you don’t need a class to start incorporating these steps into your daily eating. Try one or two and don’t get discouraged. You may feel silly taking at least 20 minutes to eat or that it is ridiculous to smell your food, but these things WILL help you to eat mindfully and in the long run eat better and find more satisfaction with less food.

I will be taking a short break after this post because Adam and I are leaving for our honeymoon on Sunday! I am super excited to head to Jamaica with him and can’t wait to tell you all about it! So enjoy your New Year and I pray that it is a wonderful year for all of you!

Mindful Eating: Wait… Did I just eat that?

December 24, 2012December 24, 2012 / ktbuchs87

Oh the holidays! What a wonderful time of friends, family, and food! How many of you have been in this situation? You’re at a Christmas party, there is food EVERYWHERE, people all around talking, laughing, drinking, having a good time. You are enjoying the rush of holiday spirit and look down at your plate and realize you have downed five pigs in a blanket, a mountain of chips and dip, and there are still cookie crumbs on your face. You know you had a full plate just a minute ago, but you can’t remember finishing any of it.

Unfortunately, this happens all too often, and not just at Christmas time. I’ve been just as guilty of plopping myself in front of the TV for dinner and inhaling my meal without even remembering the taste of what was on my plate. Or how about the mindless snacking that just seems to go hand in hand with surfing the internet? What would Facebook-stalking your friends be without that endless bag of Doritos? We have become a society that has gotten really good at multitasking, but multitasking while eating can be detrimental to your health.

Enter mindful eating. Maybe you have heard/seen/read about this idea but never really gave much thought to it (pun intended there). This idea has been picking up speed and support here in the United States for the past few years, but the practice of mindfulness has been around for much longer than that. In Buddhist culture, they have been practicing the art of mindful eating for thousands of years. So what is mindful eating exactly? In the simplest terms, it is being completely present and aware of everything that goes in to the act of sitting down and eating a meal. Not just the taste of food, but the smell, the sight, the texture, and the ambiance around you. It is really focusing on being in the moment, so to speak, with your food.

Now, I can see some of you rolling your eyes at the computer screen. “Great. She is one of THOSE people. How long before she has us hugging trees and dancing around with scarves to advocate healthy eating?” No, I am not one of THOSE people, although there is nothing wrong with them and I do a pretty wicked healthy food scarf dance. Mindful eating doesn’t have to be some crazy spiritual food experience to be helpful to you and your health. There have been numerous studies and research products on the effects of mindful eating on a healthy diet. And a lot of them have shown very positive results.

Over the next few posts, I want to go more into the principles of mindful eating as well as share some of my experiences with the practice. It really has helped improve my health, and I was one of the skeptical ones when I first heard the idea (30 minutes to eat a banana? No thanks, get it in my belly asap). But I now see the benefits and I think that you can reap those same benefits for yourself!

With that in mind (yup another pun) I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with your loved ones and bask in the glow of this wonderful season! And just maybe think before reaching for that fifth candy cane….