Eat this, not that

                I mentioned here that I would post about the dietary guidelines that I'm currently following at the suggestion of my mother and my acupuncturist.  And just for the record: I'm no saint that resists all temptations all the time.  Even though I know I should be eating this way all the time, I go through "screw it" phases where I justify to myself that I should eat whatever I want.  Like when I'm struggling with a melancholy state of mind...or when it's the holidays (because, come on, it's the holidays).  But I've recommitted to this plan because I know it helps me balance out my hormones.  And, on the plus side, because I'm eating healthier I tend to lose weight. ..can't complain about that :).

                At my mother's suggestion, I follow an eating plan known as the Kaufmann Diet.  It is an eating plan that is largely anti-yeast/anti-fungal and my mom puts a lot of patients on it to help with a variety of conditions, including hormone issues.  While on the Kaufmann Diet, I basically avoid the following:

- sugar (except natural sugars in fruits) and artificial sweeteners (only stevia is allowed)
- potatoes (this one hurts because man do I love some mashed potatoes...)
- corn and wheat grains (can have brown rice, quinoa, oats, flour tortillas, and sourdough bread)

There are other guidelines within the diet, but those are the biggies in my book...no sugar and no starch.  It's mostly low carb and it helps you get rid of a lot of the unnatural things in your diet because you avoid most things with preservatives and additives.

                At my acupuncturist's suggestion, I avoid poultry during the first half of my cycle until I ovulate (during the follicular phase for those of you who know the technical term).  So until that egg is released in my body, no eggs for me...or chicken or turkey at all for that matter.   Let me just say this: you probably don't realize how often people eat chicken until you're not supposed to eat it for half the month!  It's unreal how much of our diet (or mine, at least) consists of eating that bird.  My acupuncturist explained that I should only eat it at certain times because it has something to do with how our bodies process poultry.  Sorry I don't remember the details here, but she explained that it can somehow block the uterus...bad before you ovulate because it could block the egg, but good after you ovulate because it could help "hold things in" if you get a fertilized and implanted egg.  So, after I ovulate and have been poultry deprived for a couple weeks, there is almost nothing that tastes better than a big piece of chicken or a supersized omelet.

                So that's how I eat in a nutshell.  Limited and often times annoying, but not unattainable and certainly much healthier for me.  If anyone wants more detailed information about the Kaufmann Diet, email me at jealousoffertilemyrtle@gmail.com and I'll send them your way.