Just Say No…..To Everything

One of the things that my husband and I have always enjoyed doing is having a good meal.  When we lived in Connecticut, and our children were younger we had the opportunity to dine out most weekends.  We loved having the opportunity to go to local restaurants or into New York City for the innumerable selection of restaurants.  I miss the diversity of foods that we had in CT.  Food in small town NC just isn't the same.

Claus and I no longer have the same opportunities to go out and have culturally diverse food in the small town we live in.  Unfortunately, our youngest daughter makes dining out in a "nice" restaurants very difficult.  If we wanted to have something other than Mexican or Italian we would have to drive 35 minutes to an hour to find what her are looking for…..a nice grown up restaurant.  We have been left with few options.

Despite complaints from my children, I am a good cook.  I love to experiment with new dishes and ingredients. If we can't get out, I will create the food at home.  I also have a passion for baked goods.  There is nothing better than fresh baked cookies, cake or pie.  My oldest daughter went so far as to say: "Why can't you be a normal mom?  Normal mom's don't bake cookies on Monday!"  I don't really know what that means but I guess that I am abnormal.

So why am I going on about food?  Well, food has become too big a part of my life.  Food has become my comfort when I am stressed, a tool for celebration, a break from boredom, and a friend when I have felt alone.  I love the wrong kinds of food and they are making me sick.  I have an educational background in nutrition and I select the wrong foods to fill my body.  Eight years ago I weighed 122lbs.  Today, I would not tell you what I weigh because I am embarrassed.

Last week I had an upper endoscopy.  Despite my hopes the test did not come back normal.  My poor eating habits, and lack of management of a condition called GERD has caused some concerning changes to tissue in my esophagus.  I am lucky that this was caught early.  The tissue, though suggestive of a pre-cancerous condition, is not that severe YET.  My doctor has recommend change, drastic change in my diet to reverse the damage to the effected tissue.

Starting Monday my diet will look nothing like the things I am used to eating.  Most of what I like to eat will be banned from my new diet plan.  I will no longer be able to eat:   full fat dairy products (yogurts, cheeses, ice cream), CHOCOLATE, fatty meats & cold cuts, spicy foods, citrus fruits, tomatoes, any acidic fruits and vegetables.  Basically, I am allowed to eat high fiber fruit and vegetables and low fat proteins, no snacking between meals, and no eating 3 hours.

My diet is not entirely responsible for my health issues.  Genetics has played some role, my biological father died of esophageal cancer in his early sixties.  With God's mercy and grace I will not follow in my father's genetic footsteps.  I know that this not going to be easy for me .  Change never is easy, especially when  iti is radical.  I hope that if anyone is facing the same sort of issue, please contact me through the blog.  We all need support at one point in our live.  Take care and God Bless, have a great weekend.

Lisa