Healthy Makes You Sick?

As I've mentioned before, I had serious stomach issues over Winter break. I went to two doctors back home in Indiana, and both told me it was probably gastritis or IBS. The second doctor, my parent's physician, prescribed taking Prilosec every day to keep the acid at bay, but there was really nothing he could do about. I'm not one to take pills every day to dull the problem, but when I don't take the pills, it's literally hell.

Basically, my parent's doctor told me to try Prilosec for two weeks and if the symptoms came back, to call him. Well, I did and they did. I called him again, and since I am in Denver now, he told me to start a 2 month regimen of Prilosec, but if things didn't get completely better in a week or so, to go see a doctor here.

Well, again, they didn't, so I made an appointment to see the Wellness Center doctor here at DU. Basically, she said the same things the other two doctors did. She did take more time to explain things to me and printed me off sheets to explain both diseases. She listed some foods that I should avoid because they can cause more acid to build up in the stomach, and here is where my title comes from. She told me to not drink alcohol (psh!), eat chocolate (uhm...), raw vegetables particularly tomatoes, green peppers and onions, go easy on the dairy and the caffeine and the spicy foods, and perhaps try avoiding gluten. WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT!? I am a goddamn vegetarian--you just took out my whole diet there princess. This started making me wonder if becoming a vegetarian is what caused this problem in the first place; eating healthy foods causes too much acid and apparently my stomach can't handle that. EFF.

The doctor at the Wellness Center did give me a referral to a GI specialist if I decided to actually have things checked out. She said since the Prilosec helps, it probably means it is nothing too serious, but just in case. I am going to give it a few weeks, TRYING to avoid the problem foods (even though Valentines was filled with wine, chocolate and tomatos...) and then decide if I want to go to a doctor and have them stick a camera tube down my throat. Ugh. It's just annoying that there isn't a solution and I just have to deal with this--I'm 23; that's a lot of years of Prilosec in my future.

Good news is that the Wellness Center can get me Prilosec FOR FREE instead of $50 for a 2 month supply. That's a good thing to know.

Anyways, send good thoughts to my stomach.

Don't Retreat, Just Reload

I'm not feeling too hot, but I wanted to update this blog on my latest adventures in Vegetarianism. I finally ventured into Whole Foods, or at least one of them in Denver, and it was wondrous. It was like the two aisles I shop in at Safeway, but expanded into a whole store. And the samples were to die for. I really do think the prices would be comparable since the organic food at Safeway is expensive anyways, might as well have a selection. We'll see what I discover there.

Another new love: Sarah Palin's Alaska show on TLC. Oh My God why did it take so long for someone to think of this? Pure genius. I found the substitute for my Sister Wives withdrawals. Hate her or love her, the woman lives one interesting life in Alaska and makes one hell of a reality show.

Finally, things have gotten a little sketchy this past week. I don't know what it is, but I can feel the distance like its palpable. People always say that separation doesn't make the heart grow stronger, it just shows you that you can live your life without that person. And I'm worried I'm hitting the point where my life is starting to redefine itself. In 6 days I go home and I'm hoping things start falling back into place. I hope they do. I don't want this to happen.

So many things. One paper. One test. One script. One flight.
Cheers.

Food Blog?

I feel like ever since I started using Tumblr again, the only times I update here are when I do something neat, which is usually food related. Today is no exception.

Tonight, Kirsten and I decided to cook again. It wasn't like the veggie pizza night, we actually had a plan when we walked into Safeway. We made asian stir fry, with tofu and fettuccine noodles. It was DELICIOUS. Literally, better than any pad thai or chinese food you could get at any restaurant. It had red peppers, onions, and snow peas, grilled tofu (that we pressed!) and bean sprouts. Then we made our own peanut sauce, which was basically soy sauce, ginger, almond butter, and JUSTIN'S (my faaaave) peanut butter. And of course the noodles.

Literally nommed the shit outta that one. I wish I had a pic to show off our amazing skills. Then we topped it off with a margarita and two Rolling Rocks. Haha. Big night. Oh, and we ate with chopsticks. Quite a challenge but totes worth the effort.

Mmmm. :)

Organic Obsession

I am OBSESSED with Justin's All Natural Nut Butter, particularly the Maple Almond. I could eat all day, errday. And the best part? It's made here in Colorado! (Boulder, to be exact). Mmmm.

Hello. My Name is Tofu. Eat Me.

Well, I did it. I don't think you can call yourself a vegetarian unless you've at least TRIED tofu. I cooked a tofu dish tonight. It took me a good half hour to track down all these crazy ingredients in the local Safeway like toasted sesame seed oil, tahini sauce, and tamari soy sauce. But it was quick and easy to make. And relatively low in calories/points.

Will I cook it again? Maybe, but not anytime soon. :)

Cheers!

Autumn: The Time of Change

I was just re-reading some of my older posts. (Very literally, I'm trying to waste time so that I can digest breakfast before I go out and run.) It's amazing how much things have changed since I first blogged here in CO. I was miserable. I had no friends, I sat in my apartment all day, and I was homesick. I missed my family, my friends, my boyfriend, and that's all I talked about. And I'm not judging myself because of it--it was really hard to move out here alone and start over. It's a romanticized notion of adventure. But after the first month or so, it really does start to live up to its expectations.

Of course I still miss everyone, but it's not a physical pain anymore. It's just a thought in the back of my mind. Does that sound bad? I don't mean it to. Plus, I have a steady friend base (and by that, I mean three people). But they get me out of my apartment at least every weekend, usually more. I do need to focus on my work more, especially with only three weeks left, but I'm just too excited to get out and live in Denver. As cheesy as that is.

That's my reflection on change, not the leaves kind. Although, I have to say, Colorado Falls kick any other states' ass. So gorgeous! I don't even want to take a picture because I doubt it will do it justice.

On other news, the vegetarianism still lives on. Further cooking adventures have been Spaghetti Squash (FIVE STARS!) and Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous, also delish. And the running part of me is doing a 5k on Saturday morning up in Erie, CO. It's called the Eerie Erie, hah. Basically, you run in your costume. I'm sure I'll have more to say about Halloween weekend later.

Until then, cheers!

The Big O

It's been a very lonely first month here, but I have met some cool people that I've hung out with a few times. One of them, named Kirsten, doesn't eat meat all that often. It's not because she's a vegetarian, per say, but more because she doesn't have a dishwasher and is afraid of the idea of raw meat not being washed off her pans well enough. That's legit. We started talking about the documentary film, Food Inc. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's very eye-opening, and in a way that SuperSize Me just doesn't quite get across. After our discussion, I decided to watch the film and boy was I amazed. It physically disgusted me to think about putting another piece of meat into my mouth. Backup for second, because I guess I should explain that I've always had a problem with meat. I mean, I eat it and like it, but I've always been VERY picky when it comes to the fat, color, consistency, etc... (When I was five, I declared myself a vegetarian. It didn't last too long considering I was five, but I was way ahead of my times.) Anyways, so this movie was literally was pushed me over the edge. The next day, I went to Safeway and not only didn't I buy any meat, I bought only (well, okay...mostly) organic food. It was expensive, but I was happy with my decision. And then last night, I talked to a friend who recently became a vegan. She gave me some websites to look at, blogs for recipes, and such...and I think I am going to do it. I feel like I'm giving in to Colorado lifestyle, but it's really my disgust for the companies that are packaging out food. I won't preach, but if you want to learn more, read Fast Food Nation or watch Food, Inc. It's scary how closely tied they are to the government that is suppose to be watching over them.

Anyways, I just wanted to share this big moment in my life. Hopefully it lasts longer than it did last time. And it's more for stand against the companies than my love for animals or for health reasons. Like they said on the movie, every time you buy organics instead of their products, it's a vote against them. And that's what I'm trying to do. If more people "vote against them," eventually they will have to better produce their food and let it be more natural. That's all I want.

And who knows, this isn't a quick process. Will I still eat Turkey at Thanksgiving? Maybe... I don't plan on ever going past being a vegetarian. I still want my milk and eggs. Fish/Seafood I don't care too much about. I don't like them anyways, but I guess we'll see where time takes me.

Cheers!