Super Good (for you) Cabbage Salad

So, one thing I didn't mention yet is that I've been in a healthy crisis for the past couple of months--since Labor Day weekend. I don't want to go into the story now, but the bottom line is that I developed really severe heart palpitations after I eat (among other symptoms, which all seem to be related to insulin, or the adrenal system. . .?  I spent weeks researching and trying to figure out what it could be and decided to start with an elimination diet for candida (which does lead to many of the symptoms I've been having, and which I've suspected I have had for a few years--but not enough to actually stop me from eating sugar ; ). The diet is severe: no grains, no starchy veggies, no beans, no dairy other than plain yogurt and raw butter (both of which I already eat and enjoy), no fruit, no sugar, no processed foods or preserved meats, no tea or chocolate.

Yeah. You're probably thinking what I was thinking.

But I felt so horrible and at least once a day my heart felt like I was having a heart attack and my head felt like I was having a stroke--and when you feel so horrible, you just don't even want to eat anything anymore.

But I also decided to ease into the diet--partly because it would be easier and partly because I wanted to avoid die-off syndrome in my gut (when bad gut bacteria, starved of their normal diet, have a mass die-off and as your body expels all the dead bacteria you end up with symptoms like having the bad stomach flu.) So I figured I'd slowly reduce the colonies of bad bacteria while purposefully introducing plenty of good bacteria back into my gut through probiotics. I'm not going crazy--the probiotics I'm ingesting are through the whole organic yogurt with live cultures, and through these really tasty bottled drinks called KeVita--expensive, but they contain 4 live cultures, are super low in sugar (1g)  and one way I can feel like I am "treating" myself through this process.  Besides, one bottle typically lasts me for 3 servings.

Anyway, since I've been "cheating" on the diet a little, that means I've been eating a little grain, a little fruit. And yes, I've even tried the ocassional cup of black tea with milk. ; )  I even found some dark chocolate with stevia instead of sugar--no sugar added! the label pronounced. But my heart still races afterwards, so clearly I still should not imbibe. But I sometimes sneak a few very small squares. ; )

A typical day's diet might look like this:
Breakfast = bowl organic whole plain yogurt (good) with small serving blueberries (cheating, but super healthy cheat--very low in sugar and very high in antioxidants and vitamins), sprinkled with ground flax seed, hemp seed, chia seed, and cinnamon (all excellent for me).

Lunch = bowl of cabbage salad (very good for me)

Lunch #2 = roasted chicken wing with grilled asparagus (both from a local deli--I sometimes pick up food and that's another way I "treat" myself while on this strict diet)

Dinner = Homemade guacamole with raw garlic, tomato, apple cider vinegar (super good for me)--but with a few organic gluten-free multi-grain tortilla chips (bad for me--but c'mon!) with 1/3 a bottle of KeVita.

See? Not so bad. But the problem is that I've been so busy lately, or not feeling good, and I haven't known what to make for my family that meets my requirements, so I just end up cooking for them and then scrounging for myself, which as you can see is not easy. But when I do get the energy and inspiration to cook, I've come up with a few recipes that were SO AMAZINGLY GOOD that I would make them anyway!  So here's one of them, which is so good and easy that I wanted to share with you.


Super Good (for you) Cabbage Salad

Both red and green cabbage, chopped finely.
Very small amount of red onion, minced (to do taste--a little goes a long way)
Olive oil
Apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients above--and sorry, I don't have amounts, since I always just cook by feel. : )  Just look up a recipe for vinegar & oil dressing if you want to know proportions. But be careful--the ACV can pack a punch. If you accidentally get too much, just add more oil. But this will not be a juicy salad)

Sprinkle with a generous helping and then mix in:
Hemp seed
Chia seed
Sunflower seeds (sprouted if you can get them)

Then just sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and make sure all is mixed!  This salad is so easy, and is very yummy--very subtle flavor. Goes really well with roasted chicken and grilled asparagus. ; ) But most of all, it is super healthy and good for you!


I'll share my other favorite recipes in a different post.

Oh, and after eating this way for about 2 months now, I think I have ruled out candida. I might still have it, but I don't think it is making my heart go crazy. There is something else going on, and I wonder if it is connected to all the low-blood-sugar issues I've had for 10 years!  I actually have a doctor's appointment on Monday (the DO I wanted to see had a 4 week wait) and so I'm hoping then I can start the journey to figuring out what is wrong with me. But until then, this diet has really helped my symptoms quiet somewhat, even though they still happen--just not to the degree they did before. (Like I rarely have any head pressure now and some other symptoms went away). So I will keep it up!  And keep trying to make it even healthier. I mean, when I end up eating a few chips with my guac several times a week, that's no longer a cheat--that's a diet.  So thanks for letting me share the recipes I come up with--it might help inspire me to invent more!