A Part of my Previous Life...

Before I was diagnosed I had a hobby that perhaps now in retrospect wasn't very good for me... But oh how fun it was.... Stressful, unhealthy... but oh how fuuuuun....

I made cakes...

And if I may say so myself now... I wasn't too shabby at them. 
I am taking a break, so that I first get a chance to land in my MS and in my new lifestyle. But I am not done making cakes... I can't be. It's to big of a part of my life. This is my confession ;-)... I'm not giving up making cakes for other people even though I can no longer eat them myself. I will have to have my family taste what I make and plan ahead so I don't get stressed. 

I might even see if there are ways for me to make cakes for me... If I do I'll share the recipes with you here :-)!

Here is the link for my old Cake blog... It's been dormant for a while, but it is certainly not dead. I hope you like my work! 

Pop Up Cakes

Here is a taster:

Enjoy!
-Josefine

A Different Kind of Meditation

As part of the OMS lifestyle (not just diet) we are supposed to meditate for 30 min daily... This is something I've been having trouble with. 

I have two kids, a house and a job to take care of.. I barely have time to breathe let alone meditate for 30 min a day!! 

I was reading some posts on the oms support group on Facebook and there was someone with the same issues as me. But they came to the conclusion that things like taking a walk or gardening could be meditation as well. Emptying your mind somehow. Putting your focus on just one thing. 

One thing that I find very soothing is crafting. I sow, make cakes (for other people) and anything where my hands are used creatively. So I sat down and started painting some stones for my newly planted garden! It was a quick little project, but it was wonderful to just create and not think about anything else but what my fingers were doing. You shall be seeing a lot more meditation projects from me n here, that's for sure! 

Now go meditate ;-)! 

-Josefine

Weightloss

So one side effect from eating for my MS is that you loose weight.

I thought it would stabilize once i started getting used to what I can and can't eat, but I'm still plummeting. I'm not complaining though ;-)!

Ha.. so I'm opening up to you guys now!

I am ca 181 cm tall (yes I am a Swedish giant) and about a year ago I weighed approximately 75 kg. Which isn't loads, and I had just had a baby 6 months prior. But I was on a trip with my sisters and thanks to their own weight goals(or should I say HEALTH goals) I started joining them in their quest. I started taking long walks (like 10 km) daily, and started watching what I ate. And I lost about 6 kg over the course of 6 months. So I was down to 69 kg which I was super chuffed with. I was also happy with how long it took, I was changing food habits and it showed on the scales and in my clothes.

But then I couldn't get any further. And I felt like I had another 3 kg to loose to get back to my former jeans. But I wasn't complaining. I was quite happy with the weight i had lost and how much more healthy I felt. 


SO
If I felt healthy then, GUESS what I feel now?!?!? A health FREAK is what!!! ;-D

I'm now down to 66 kg and the thought that I will never again yoyo in levels of healthiness is a great feeling. AND THATS THANKS TO EATING FOR MY HEALTH AND NOT TO LOOSE WEIGHT.... sorry for shouting ;-)... But it's quite an important difference. I'm no longer body conscious out of a weight perspective because it's not important the way my health is. I'm eating to make sure I'm getting all the nutrients my body needs. And that is huge. 

So here is my before and after pictures. The before is from maybe 4 months after my second baby. and the after was from about 2 weeks ago. and yes, a lot of weight was probably in the hair :-D!!!

So excuse the rant, but I felt like documenting that "side effect" as well as the negative ones ;-)! 

Here's to positive thinking ;-)!
-Josefine

Solarium and Vitamin D

Dare I say that I am excited that i now HAVE to go to the solarium as part of my medication ;-)?! It is so nice and relaxing, AND it helps me get my vitamin D for the day! Went today, my feet felt like elephant feet, and I must have looked funny walking, but it was so nice to be out and up that I didn't care! Yay for the ability to walk at all :-)!!! 

According to Dr George Jelinek and the studies that he has done, Vitamin D has a HUGE factor to play when it comes to MS patients and the frequency in which they have their relapses or episodes. Even the Neurologist I spoke to at the hospital (who claimed that what I eat has nothing to do with how many relapses I have) agreed. He told me that the further away from the equator you get there are more cases of MS. Also people who work the nigthshift have a tendency to have more relapses. He said that he didn't know of any studies (I could tell him of a few) but that that is a strong indicator that Vitamin D has a big role to play. When reading the studies that Dr Jelinek has done it all made so much sense.

According to most doctors a good level of vitamin D in your blood should be around 75nmol/L, but in an MS body this is way to low. Our Vitamin D level should be around 150nmol/L but can be up to 250nmol/L. To achieve these kind of readings you have to consume quite a lot of supplements, I will be taking around 10 000 IU/IE a day during the winter months, unless I go to the solarium in which case I will reduce it to 5 000 IU/IE. During the summer I will most likely continue with 5-10 000 IU/IE unless I feel like I have gotten sufficient sunlight exposure. For all the studies on Vitamin D and it's affect on MS patients go to the OMS website on it here. That page also has more about recommended supplement intake etc, so have a read!! 

Cheers!
Josefine

Oat-Porridge

I will remove maple syrup as well, but one thing at a time ;-)

I LOVE porridge, but it hasn't been on my radar for a while. With small kids you want as few steps as possible, so having to heat something up has been way to complicated ;-). In doing my research on what I am supposed to eat, quite a few of my normal breakfasts are no longer acceptable. Even though the OMS diet  does not specify gluten and sugar, it is still something I really want to remove from my diet as well as everything else (the list is long). The reason is because of all the research done on how it can affect our gut even without an intolerance to it. Also because I am adapting my OMS diet to some of Terry Wahls suggestions (specifically the sugar, gluten and veggie model of 3x3 cups).

To be absolutely certain that your oats are gluten-free, buy one that is certified as such. Oats in themselves are always gluten-free (their protein is different), but those with an intolerance to gluten can react if the oats have been cross-contaminated (wheat growing in the field next to the oats for example). So to be sure buy the certified stuff ;-)! 

Porridge base:
1 dl (approx.1/2 cup) rolled oats
2 dl (approx. 1cup) water
a pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients in a deep bowl and microwave for 3 min, or cook on the stove till it's the desired consistency.

Still getting used to my new milk...

Suggestions for additional ingredients:
-BLUEBERRIES (brilliant "brain-food" very high in antioxidants)
-Raspberries
-Strawberries
-Blackberries
-Currants (black,red,white)
-Banana (the greener the better as it has less sugar)
-Apple pieces or homemade applesauce (less sugar)
-Maple syrup
-OATLY Oatmilk
-ALPRO Soymilk

All of these ingredients would obviously be best fresh, but if you are like me and don't get to do my foodshop every other day; frozen is fine too. I always keep berries and fruit in my freezer. perfect for other things like smoothies as well. Sweden is a great country for berry-picking, so I tend to spend a few days every summer doing just that and then freezing them down for the winter! That way I know where they come from, and what is better than wild berries?! YUM.

Good luck!
Josefine

Water

One of the things I have NEVER been good at is my intake of liquids.


....And in the light of changing my whole life I am now changing that too! 2 liters of water WILL be going down my throat EVERYDAY! I don't know if this has anything to do with MS, but my body sure will thank me for it either way, and so will yours if you do it! 


So instead of filling an empty soda bottle (cuz you know, I don't drink that stuff anymore) I am filling 2x 1 liter IKEA bottles! They are lovely sturdy, and I think even pretty :-)! They are currently in my fridge! One of them is almost empty(YAAAAY, GO ME) !!!

Cheers! 
Josefine