Food Inc.

My boyfriend and I watched this documentary together and it has just left us disgusted and horrified!
The documentary details the truth behind many of the food "products" we consume, where they came from and who is being destroyed to get it to us!
I am just so shocked to see high fructose corn syrup in so many of the food items in my cupboards.
I do not buy junk food as it is, but to find it is also an included ingredient in the "healthy" whole wheat bread I buy, pisses me off! Why does whole wheat bread NEED to have high fructose corn syrup!
Chemicals and additives are in everything Americans typically eat and no wonder we are so sick!
It makes me feel so guilty, because I am guilty of the pervasive laziness that perpetuates this to continue.
When I was married I had the money to ear organic and my ex demanded home cooked meals. We did not eat processed meals.
That marriage left me feeling like a slave of the kitchen or well just a slave period but the eating was the healthiest we had ever done!
The year and a half since I have been back in the states has been a huge adjustment in time. I have been in school full time and dont have the time to sit around and think about what home made fresh meal I am going to make! So many times it has just been easier to pop in a stouffers lasagna or "sigh" tyson chicken nuggets.
It makes me feel sick that I feed my cats better than I feed my kids! Its all laziness and poor time management.
I have struggled with my weight here for the first time in my life! I dont really eat more than I used too but the quality has been so diminished.
Organics and healthy food is more expensive but in the last week I have found great sales and have not really spent more than normal.
I am going to take the time to realign my time and organize myself a bit so that I can feed my kids responsibly. They love healthy foods! I dont want them to grow up eating the way we have in the last year and a half because they deserve better!

selective eating disorder!

Selective eating disorder is a newly accepted and recognized form of eating disorder. The American Psychiatric Association is considering it for the 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual is a reference book of psychological disorders. 

Some but not all children who are “picky” eaters may grow into adults who have this disorder. Unlike people suffering from bulimia or anorexia, selective eating does not appear to be based on stresses of weight or physical appearance. Suffers have just a small range of “safe foods” or foods that they find acceptable to eat. This restriction interferes with relationships, and strains social interactions. It may be linked to a sort of obsessive compulsive disorder and can lead to long term health consequences if nutritional needs of the body are not met.

 
My personal experiences with this disorder.
 
Ryan, the love of my life! I met him at work in the yogurt aisle of Target. It was our first day of work and he had escaped from his assigned location in meat. He explained to me that he was a vegetarian and being around the meat had been grossing him out! After many weeks we began slowly dating and I began to wonder if he was more than just vegetarian, because he did not seem to really eat anything. He also ate the same thing every day, no real variation. 

I talked to a friend who is a nurse about it several times, and speculated that he may have some compulsion about food. In my observations he only ate a few things, peanut butter and jelly, toast, bagels (un toasted) with cream cheese, cheese pizza, cheese itself (must be sharp cheddar blocks only, very thinned slices) French fries, yogurt, and fruit smoothies that he has made himself. 

I discovered he could eat meat…sort of. He likes bad hot dogs, the mixed meat variety, and if it tastes too good (all beef, kosher etc.) he feels very sick to his stomach and may vomit. He can also eat chicken nuggets of the McDonald’s or Wendy’s variety (again with quality, if it tastes too “good” he gets sick). 

Though there are multiple things on this list, he eats the same thing every day and most of these foods, while he will eat them, are not something he can eat daily.  His daily diet consists of peanut butter and jelly on potato bread (a complete protein yay!) sometimes twice a day, cheese, milk, and yogurt. 

After months of dating he finally admitted he just can’t eat like everyone else! What we would consider good food, like lasagna, steak or well anything with a mixed variety, looks like chopped liver to him! It appears completely inedible. If he is forced to eat something like it, he gets involuntarily ill and may even throw up. Imagine trying to eat liver or something that you can’t imagine as food.
 
He wishes he could eat, life would be easier for him if he could. It has affected him socially; food is such a social mechanism for us. It was something that made him stick out in the cafeteria in school. When people want to go out to eat and hang out, he often declines. When he is forced to eat around people he feels awkward, and feels eyes on him. I asked him how often he pays attention to people eating. Never was his reply, but he still feels pressure and self-conscious eating around people.   

Prior to meeting him, if I would have heard of this disorder I would have just been incredulous. Eat! Just eat, would have been my thought. He has wept and struggled and I have been there for him. It is distressing for him to know this is going to be how he eats for the rest of his life, if he could just snap his fingers and eat he would. This has a powerful mental hold on him. 

He is not crazy. He is a fantastic, loving, hilarious person! Outside of the kitchen you would never know he struggled with any problems. He takes excellent care of himself otherwise and he seems to be much more aware of his body’s needs than others his age. He eats small portions and takes many high quality vitamins and fiber every day to make up any imbalance in nutrients. He knows he doesn’t eat a balanced diet and does what he can to insure his health otherwise.

My adventures this week with the digestive system!

I have been in and out of the bathroom, dr's office, urgent care, and ER with a sick 4 year old this week. I have also missed 1 and 1/2 microbiology classes as well.
It started Sunday night, Keira complained that her tummy hurt...not an uncommon complaint in this house. On Monday she was still complaining but it did not really slow her down. Tuesday she reluctantly ate her breakfast and lunch and really just laid around all morning. Then the puking began! 3 times, twice in the car :/
Wednesday she seemed a little better but she didn't really want to eat. I sent her to daycare so I could go to class and while there I know she at the very least, ate her yogurt. When I picked her up she seemed tired, and she complained of her tummy again. She laid down and did not want to move, which is really really weird! After a complete meltdown about eating Ice cream that evening I knew something must be really wrong! I decided we needed to go to urgent care as my Dr's office was closing shortly.
On the way to urgent care she threw up and forever traumatized me for life!!! I have never seen anything like this, it was straight out of an exorcist movie! Vomit reached the front of the car....
She was soaked!
The urgent care pretty much instantly concluded she needed to be seen at the ER so away we went.
There they took this picture which pretty obviously identifies her pain and vomiting issues.

She is a total gas bag!
So much pressure that it caused her to explosively vomit anything her stomach tried to deposit into her intestines.
Pretty much on cue with the ER dr's diagnoses the little tot began to foghorn. I feel bad for her big sister who has the top bunk above her.
I thought that was that and we had and would move past the issue!
Thursday however she still just laid around and complained of belly pain and would refuse to eat or drink much. She is usually so active and this was weird for her. On Friday it was even worse, she wouldn't walk or even talk to me and she had a hard time staying awake. She cried out with pain from her abdomen but thankfully no puking...altho it was because she refused to eat anything for days.
I was conflicted...If it was just gas, why was she so sick...what If I ignored a serious problem, laughing it all away as gas. I decided she needed to be seen again. We went to the Dr and they felt sure she had appendicitis, so we got shuttled to the ER again. I waited in the lobby for 4 hours and she slept the whole time.
The dr was concerned with her lethargy and took blood and ordered an ultrasound of her belly.
They also started an IV because she was clearly dehydrated. Her blood work came back with a new issue! The puking and refusing to eat and drink had caused dangerously low blood sugar. Her blood glucose was 30! No wonder she wouldn't walk, talk, or stay awake! They immediately started an IV with a bag of sugar solution.
It didn't take long and she perked right up, and even said her belly pain was gone. Her ultrasound was perfect and she was her normal self in no time.
The dr said she had just gotten in a spiral. The gas caused pain and vomiting and refusal to eat, which caused dehydration and low blood sugar that caused abdominal cramps, which lead to even less wanting to eat and drink, and on and on.
So here we are one day later and she is back to her old self! I am exhausted, haven't gotten any work or studying, or cleaning done! It has been an interesting A&P in the real world for me.

if you fall asleep you die!

I just read an interesting news article about a boy who has a condition called central hypoventilation syndrome. Children with this condition breathe normally in waking hours but when they fall asleep they can stop breathing and die. It is a genetic condition and from what I have read can be familial.
Children need mechanical ventilation at night from a respirator to prevent hypoxemic events.
I cannot imagine how stressful and scary this would be for his parents. His mother talks about how she has to watch him constantly to make sure he doesnt doze off or nap, such as during long car rides. He also has a permanent tracheotomy to connect his respirator too at night.
From further reading I have discovered it is a relatively rare disease and and can be misdiagnosed. Infants with this disorder may die in their sleep and be written off as sids.
If not diagnosed early enough cumulative hypoxic events may lead to seizure disorders or other disabilities.
They have done numerous studies and have not been able to pinpoint a definitive area of the brain that is abnormal or diseased. From studies they have deduced that the problem lies in the brainstem where input from chemoreceptors is integrated.
Interestingly these children must also be careful while swimming underwater or diving because the do not sense air hunger, and they can lose consciousness and drown as a result.

Bad blogger!

I have sucked at keeping up this blog! It time and date stamped so its not like I can just make 10 entries the night before its due!

The stress in my life has been drowning me! My school work has suffered :( I fear my health will suffer too if I cannot get things back into the blue! The stress however does tie into things we have learned this semester! Mt divorce, financial worries and childcare worries have kept my body in a constant fight or flight state! I had not been able to fight or fly away unfortunately so it just kept flowing! Long term exposure to the hormones of stress, adrenaline and cortisol can cause numerous health issues! It raises blood pressures and heart rates...It leads to heart disease, digestive issues, decreased immune fxns and memory problems (that explains my test scores the last few weeks!)
I am trying to get everything to balance out so that I can just breath and relax. I need to start exercising and eating better and plan on getting back on track with the paleo diet! I am so tired of eating processed foods it is not even funny! I also want to get back into doing yoga! Not only do I feel taller but it also helps immensely with stress....
cited:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001

when the body attacks itself!

Autoimmune diseases result from an over active immune system that turns on the body and organs of its owner. It turns on the body's own tissues and destroys them. There are dozens of diseases link to autoimmune disorders and many more suspected diseases that can at times be linked to autoimmune issues. The problem in diagnosing autoimmune diseases is that their symptoms can mimic other diseases or be very vague.
Diabetes type 1 results from the immune system destroying the beta cells in the pancreas, multiple sclerosis happens when the body attacks the protective coating around nerves.
Damage from autoimmune disease can be localized, such as joint problems or nerve issues or they can be systemic and affect multiple organs and tissue types!
Autoimmune diseases are more common in women although men can get them too.
Treatments can be supportive, for the symptoms of pain and discomfort, as well as replacing what is destroyed by the disease such as thyroid hormone, or insulin.
There are also chemotherapeutic agents and drugs used in organ transplantation that are given to suppress the immune system and protect the body organs being attacked from severe damage.
http://womenshealth.gov/faq/autoimmune-diseases.cfm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autoimmunediseases.html#cat5

scared healthy...I wish it was that easy

Molly says this section just reminds you of all the ways you can die...or something along those lines.
Its so true, heart disease, strokes, blood clots, hypertension just to name a few.
The sad thing is so much of them are totally preventable. We hear the stats, and we are taking this class and passing so we are reasonably smart people, but its so hard to change old habits.
I know I need to eat better and exercise, and if I was dying of heart disease I know I would have many regrets... One hour of exercise a day and a healthy diet doesn't sound so bad when your dying, but its to late to go back.
I think this American society has just done a horrible job in promoting healthy lifestyles... Ok so every few years they come out with a new pyramid, but what the hell does that do!? How many people beyond dietitians and personal trainers really look at that!
This 24 hour, get it when I want it, as soon as I want it...Lazy society is killing us.
We are also spreading our lazy disease to other countries, and it is a shame. There is a Mcdonalds in Italy! A Mcdonalds, and the Italians love it....America, and what to do we share with our world...Mcdonalds.
Its disgusting...
In Italy you cant drive in many of the city squares or main shopping area's so people walk and ride their bikes...Many Italians dont even own cars. Stores are not open 24 hours a day, and sometimes for no reason they are not open when they should be lol!
Organic food is not a luxury, it is the norm...and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. They dont inject their livestock with antibiotics and hormones, its against the law! Kids play (outside!), there are not game stops and video game stores everywhere. I had the opportunity to get to know many Italians and the TV, if they even had one...was small and tucked away, almost never on.
You dont see overweight people in Italy...unless you go to the American military base.
You don't see litter on the side of the road in Italy, except once I saw a taco bell bag on the side of a switchback going up a beautiful Italian mountain....They sell Taco Bell on base. 
I am guilty of falling back into bad habits and laziness, and I hate myself for it sometimes...
It was easy there to be healthy and conscious of it....Here in America, they breed this disease.
There is no direction but fat, lazy and unhealthy and if your not fat, unhealthy and lazy, your swimming upstream. They put out a pyramid chart....but here organic food and fruits and veggies are the most expensive food in the store, Gyms are expensive luxury to those who can afford it, and they are continuing to cut back on physical education in schools.
So kids and adults are going to continue to expand their waistlines, and drug companies will make billions selling their cholesterol pills...
I want to get back in line, I want to be healthy like I once was...I know what I should be doing and can do. I want to do what I can, and what I can afford.
I want to set a positive example for my girls. I am blessed to have lived in Italy and to have experienced a different way of life and IMO a better way of life.
I hope that we don't continue to spread this disease of laziness....Mcdonalds in Italy should embarrass us, it embarrasses me.
I don't want to have hypertension, heart disease or a stroke......I need to do it, and I hope that I can motivate myself to a healthier way of being. Living in America doesn't have to be my crutch, I want to slow things down, be healthier minded and live life a little more.