What did you have to eat today?
Hey all, this is what I had today
breakfast: 1 oz basic 4 cereal w/2% milk-milk came back up
snack: 2 ritz crackers
lunch: 1 oz spicy pork & vegetable imperial roll (didnt eat it all but it stayed down)
snack: root beer popsicle (they are soooo goooood)
dinner: 3 small potatoe wedges from KFC
ISN'T THAT GREAT!!!!! I REALLY ATE SOME REAL FOOD TODAY......I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
Arlene
When I saw the title and see 'Arlene W' as the poster I thought... "Is she a glutton for punishment?" But WOW!! What a great surprise to read that you kept REAL honest-to-goodness food down! That is sooooo very exiting! I am thrilled for you, Arlene! You are on your way!
Yippppeeee!
My foods were about normal for me...
B: 1/4 C ground flax seed with milk and splenda
Coffee and FF creamer
L: string cheese, 1/3 Balance Bar
S: 1+ C cheddar popcorn
D: 1 slice lunchmeat and cheese each
Hugs and continued prayers,
Nan
Thank you Nancy,
hey, what is fax seed? and you slice of lunchmeat, is that the really thin stuff you get for sandwiches? But I had a really awful day today besides the food. I was really constipated and had the squirts on top of it. How crazy is that? I was in such pain. I'm feeling a little better just a little difficult to sit right now. Thank you so much for you support Nancy, it means so much to me.
Arlene
I buy flax seed at Fred Meyer in the bulk section. It's only $.99 a lb. I grind 1/8-1/4 C fresh each morning. I've eaten it hot and cold with milk. I can't say that it keeps me regular or anything as great as that, but I love the nutty taste and know it's good for me.
Here's a decent article on Flax...
What is Flax Seed?
Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, lignans, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. We will examine each of these nutrients.
Fiber
Flax seeds are an excellent source of fiber. They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. They also contain a special fiber called mucilage. Mucilage helps stabilize blood sugar levels, protects against bowel cancer, and is a natural laxative.
Dietary fiber is important because it keeps the digestive system functioning properly. It enhances our body's ability to use other dietary nutrients. Fiber goes through our digestive tract almost completely undigested. Once it reaches the colon and/or the large intestine, fiber is then broken down.
Dieting lacking sufficient fiber can lead to:
* Chronic Constipation (That can't be fun)
* Hypertension
* Cancer
* Weight Control problems
* Heart Disease
* Diabetes
Lignans
Lignans are natural plant chemicals. They are molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. Flax seeds are the richest source of lignans. Diets high in lignans can lead to a lower chance of getting colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
These plant hormones are also believed to block the formation of hormone based tumors. Lignans also boost the productions of a substance attached to estrogen and carries it out of the body.
Researchers also believe lignans to have antioxidant properties. Flax seed has 75 to 800 percent more lignans than other vegetables and grains! Making flax seed worth the investment.
Vitamins and Minerals
The vitamins and minerals found in flax seeds are zinc, iron, vitamin E, carotene, B-group vitamins, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silicon, copper, nickel, molybdenum, chromium, and cobalt.
Protein
For every 100 grams of flax seeds, you get about 25-30 grams of protein, which is great considering the other nutrients you get along with this.
Fat
Flax seed is one of the best sources for the essential fatty acid alpha linolenic acid. Alpha linolenic acid is so important because it "enhances insulin sensitivity within muscle cells." This omega-3 fatty acid also has many other beneficial effects:
* Stimulating steroid production
* Systemization of hormones
* Mediating immune response
* Directing endocrine hormones to target cells
* Regulating smooth muscle and autonomic reflexes
* Construction of healthy cell walls
* Transportation of oxygen to body cells
* Keeping saturated fats mobile in the blood stream
* Regulation of nerve transmission
* Serving as the primary energy source for the heart muscle
They also have beneficial effects towards:
* Cancer
* Stroke
* Heart Attacks
* High Cholesterol
* Hypertension
* Heart pain
* Multiple sclerosis
* Psoriasis
* Eczema
Those are just some of the beneficial effect of Omega-3. Omega-3's are sometimes defined as "anti-fats". This is due to their ability to speed up the metabolic process and aid in fat loss.
Seed vs. Oil
Most of the nutrients are contains in the flax seed. So from a nutritional standpoint, flax seeds are the way to go. BUT, the flax seed oil gives you a concentrated source of the "good" fats we are looking for. Which would give the oil an edge.
The solution... Use them BOTH! By using both the seeds and oil, you get all the nutrients, fiber, lignans, protein, and fat.
How to Use Flax Seed
If using the seeds, make sure the seeds are milled, ground up. Otherwise, you won't be able to absorb them. You can add the ground up seeds to cereal, salads, protein shakes, rice, or just eat them plain. You can add the oil to other liquid drinks, or just drink it straight. A good plan is using 1-2 TBSP of the ground flax seed and 1/2 TBSP Oil in the morning and before bed. Also use 1 TBSP of oil with 1 other meal during the day. You want to get 1-3 TBSPs a day.
Amount Per Serving (2 Tbsp) % Daily Value
Calories 120
Calories from Fat 70
Total Fat 8 G 12%
Saturated Fat 1 G 5%
Cholesterol 0 G 0%
Sodium 8 MG 1%
Total Carbohydrate 8 G 3%
Dietary Fiber 5 G 20%
Sugars 0 G
Protein 5 G
Vitamin A ------ 0%
Calcium ------ 6%
Magnesium ------ 25%
Vitamin C ------ 0%
Iron ------ 15%
Zinc ------ 15%
Dame Tooter also has a good article on Flax seed.
http://www.freepgs.com/bariatricbytes/Flax.html
Tell us what you eat today!
Nancy
So glad to hear you were able to keep food down today. This is what I ate:
B: cheese stick (on the go, had to drive to Redmond to see my doc)
L: miso soup and cold tofu with ginger, green onions and soy sauce at Japanese restaurant.
D: more tofu and Chinese cabbage from left over Japanese fish stew.
S: raisin bread dunked in milk (YUMMY!) But I shouldn't have. Didn't feel that well afterwards.
OK you brought up constipation. It's "hard" for me to talk about this, but let me tell you - last Saturday I spent hours trying to pass some stool and I was running late for a Valentine's luncheon. The stool was like right there ready to come out but wouldn't and didn't want to go back in either. There was no way I would be able to walk normal if I didn't do something about it before I left. So all I could think of was to try to get it out myself with my finger and that was the most disgusting thing I have ever had to do and hopefully will never have to do again. But it did work and I did make it to the luncheon in time. My doc told me today to start taking Metamucile (sp?).
Love Diana