Week 3: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 3)

It’s been awhile since I posted on here. And mostly because I have been trying to figure out this Phase 3 thing for a bit. Let me fill you in: week 1 consisted of cheating with sourdough bread, coffee and creamer, candy, etc. I definitely ate too much of the “Thin Bark, Dark Chocolate Snack” from Cost Co. I pretty much polished off the bag during week one of phase 3. I started feeling like I was getting a cold during week 1 as well. I lightened up on sweets from then on, but I loaded up on fruit for vitamin c (which also has a lot of sugar in it). I think the sugar from the sweets and fruit but me in the butt, “so to speak”, which caused additional issues for me – feminine ones. Ugh. 

I think, I mentioned my Chiropractor having told me she thinks I suffer from an overproduction of Candida, in a previous post. Well, one can only guess what feminine problem and overproduction of yeast can cause. I ordered cranberry pills, homeopathic probiotics for yeast infections, bought unsweetened crandberry juice, took multi vitamins, made bone broth, plus many more home remedies. I was using every home remedy to avoid antibiotics. 

Week 2, I decided to lay low on cheating. The only cheating I caved with during week 2 was having a little bit of honey in my ginger tea, in hopes that I’d kick the cold. This week I was more cautious about what I ate. I tried to stay away from breads, fungus, like mushrooms, sweets, fruit, etc; which can actually cause yeast to thrive.

Once week 3 came around, I was more lenient due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving with my family, isn’t too unhealthy besides the desserts. Therefore, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to eat healthy during the holidays; with family in town it’s all worth it. I figured if I was not better at the end of the week, I’d go back on the diet. Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and tomorrow is a start to a new week. I am still feeling symptoms of a cold and craving sweets all day. 

So, now that family has left town and the festivities are over, leftovers are dwindling, I decided tomorrow is a good time for a fresh start. I noticed my pants are fitting tighter, so I decided to take a gander at the scale and realized that I’ve gained all my weight back (plus more then what I started the Diet with). 

Dr. Kellman writes that you shouldnt gain weight after having done each phase of the diet. He says, if you gain weight, your Microbiome wasn’t healthy enough after phase 2 and you most likely runined your Microbiome during phase 3. In some cases, you may just need a reset after having cheated too much. 

Kellman suggests starting with Phase 1 all over again and I have decided to do just that. Tomorrow is supposed to be the start to my forth week of Phase 3, but instead I will start with phase 1 again. 

I hope the reset will help. I caved into taking an antibiotic and think it will be best, under the circumstances, to start fresh tomorrow. My goal is to be able to go through phase 1 and 2 with being able to chat 30% during phase 3, withough gaining weight. 

Day 29: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 3)

Today marks the first day of Phase 3 of the Microbiome Diet. Yay, I made it! Hurrah! I am not too sure what I am going to do with my blog now. I am not sure how often I’ll be posting, from here on out. I’ve been diligent with posting daily throughout Phase 1 and 2 and am seriously considering posting only when I make an extravagant dish and or have some sort of news about the Diet. I’d like to tell you what Phase 3 consists of. 

First off, I’ll mention what this last phase includes: there is a 70% compliance rule, therefore cheating 30% of the time is okay. Which means that out of the thirty-five meals consumed per week, about ten of them can be anything besides a few items left on the list. These foods left of the list include: processed or packages foods, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, hydrogenated fats, canned fruits, fruit juices, soy, except soy lecithin, and canola or cottonseed oil. The foods that are added, since Phase 2 include: gluten, processed meat or deli meats and peanuts or peanut butter. Cheating more than the ten meals a week could case a failure in the healthy Microbiome in our intestine. Therefore it is important to be careful and cheat sparingly. If there is a point where you do cheat, which may have resulted in an unhealthy gut, go back to Phase 2 and cleanse your gut again. 

Additionally, do not consume gluten more than two times per week, to ensure your gut walls won’t be affected. It is under your best judgement to determine what bothers you, your stomach and what is right for your body. This last phase is still going to include some experimentation to determine what “cheating” your body can handle. 

I am pretty excited to finally get to eat a piece of bread and, or a spoonful of natural peanut butter. While, I am also looking forward to trying some of the recipes I didn’t get to try in the Microbiome Diet book over the course of the past seven weeks. Follow me and stay tuned for more recipes and information about how to transition from Phase 2 to 3. It’s going to be a wild ride so hold on. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you all have as good, or better experience than I have had the past seven weeks of my Microbiome lifestyle. 

Day 28: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

For breakfast, I had a fruit smoothie with frozen pineapple slices, 1/2 of a banana, a few grapes and some fresh lemon juice. I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of wheat grass power, 1/2 cup of spinach, 1 cup of coconut water, a splash of ginger tea and a cup of ice cubes. I also had two eggs, pan fried in coconut oil. 

In today’s post, I am going to talk about ginger. Ginger is a flowering plant, widely used an a spice or medicine. Other members of the ginger family include: turmeric, cardamom and galangal. Dicots are commonly called wild ginger because they have a similar taste. Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a mild taste. Mature ginger rhizomes are fibrous, drier and stronger in flavor. 

Ginger can be pickled in vinegar or sherry and eaten as a snack; it can also be used as an ingredient in many dishes. One way I like to prepare ginger root is by peeling, chopping and seeping in boiling water to make tea. Ginger can also be made into candy or wine. Dry ginger can be used as a flavoring to make ginger bread, crackers, cakes, cookies, ginger ale and ginger beer. 

The ginger plant is an annual stem about a meter tall, bearing narrow green leaves and yellow flowers. Ginger is indigenous to south China, but has spread to the Spice Islands of Asia and South Africa. Historically speaking, ginger was used extensively by the Romans after being exported by Europe via India in the first century AD. 

In limited studies, ginger was found more effective than the placebo for treating sea sickness, nausea, morning sickness and chemotherapy. I also find it helpful in fighting a cold or settling my stomach when feeling anxious. I was first told about ginger tea because I was having stomach an upset stomach. I also heard ginger tea is good for cramping, during menstration. This makes sense because ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.There are also suggestions that show ginger to have affects on those who are suffer from blood clotting and heart rhythms. 

According to my research, ginger was also classified as a stimulant and carminative and used frequently for dyspepsia, gastroparesis, slow motility symptoms, constipation, and colic. Although, generally recognized as a safe ingredient by the FDA, if one consumes too much ginger in the powder form, they may experience heartburn, belching, gas, nauseated bloating. If  ginger is eaten fresh and not chewed properly it can also cause an  intestinal blockage. Overall, the affects of ginger are benifical but when consumed dry or unchewed there can be adverse effects, which is why I like consuming it in the liquid, tea form. 

To continue with my food logs, my morning snack included a few mixed berries and honeydew. I also had some homemade granola with goats milk. For lunch, I had leftover homemade soup. The ingredients for the soup are posted on day 26’s publishing. For my afternoon snack, I had a corn tortilla that I made out of chips, by baking in the oven with coconut oil. With the chips, I had leftover homemade kiwi orange salsa I made a few days ago. Dinner consisted of an asparagus recipe from the Microbiome Diet book and an Italian sausage with regular mustard. The recipe for the asparagus consisted of 2 lbs of asparagus, 3 tablespoons EVOO, kosher salt, lemon juice, lemon slices and baked in the oven at 400 degrees faharenheit for 10 minutes.   

Day 27: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

For breakfast I had homemade granola and goats milk. For my morning snack I had a hard boiled egg and a kiwi. For lunch, I had a salad with spinach, romaine and cilantro. I added canned, organic chicken, crimini mushrooms, grapes, English cucumber, apple cider vinegar and olive oil to my salad. For my afternoon snack, I had a persimmon and raw nuts, which included: almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and walnuts. For dinner, I had baked turkey and black olives.

Persimmons are coming off the tree now, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about them in my post. Persimmons are an edible fruit, ranging from yellow-orange to dark red-orange, depending on species and variety. The shape also ranges due to species and may be spherical, acorn, or pumpkin shaped. 

Compared to apples, persimmons have higher dietary fiber, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and manganese, but lower levels of copper and zinc. According to Wikipedia, they also contain vitamin C and provitamin A beta-carotene. Persimmons also contain phytochemicals. 

Persimmons can be eaten fresh, raw, dried or cooked. When they are eaten fresh, they can be peeled and eaten whole or cut in quarters like an apple. One way to consume a ripe persimmon is to remove the top leaf with a paring knife and scoop out the fruit with a spoon. Very ripe persimmons can be eaten by removing the top leaf, splitting in half and eating from the inside out.

In China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, persimmons are typically hand dried in the field for two to three weeks after harvest. The fruit is then dried, by exposure to heat, for several days before going to market. In Korea dried persimmons are used to make a spicy punch, while older fermented fruit is used to make persimmon vinegar. In Taiwan, persimmons are jarred and sealed with limewater to get rid of bitternes: sold as a “crisp persimmon.” In some parts of Korea the dried fruits are used to make tea. Lastly, in the United States, persimmons are commonly known for the use of baking pies, breads, puddings, cookies, salads and as a topping on salads.

I personally like to eat the apple ones (pictured at the top of this post) similar to an apple. I remove the leaf off the top of the fruit, peel the fruit and slice it quarters and eat. With the persimmon shaped as an acorn, I like to let them ripe (to the point of mush), puree them and put them in smoothies. Sometimes the puréed fruit is good for making persimmon bread too. 

Day 26: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

 For breakfast, I had homemade granola and goats milk. I also had two coconut oil, pan fried eggs. For my morning snack, I had a fruit smoothie. I pre-prepped and froze fruit in a ziploc bag with: puréed persimmon, grapes and pineapple. I also added fresh spinach, wheat grass powder, unsweetened apple cider and coconut water. For lunch, I had a salad with ground beef, sautéed in fresh onions, cayenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt. My lettuce included cabbage, spinach and leafy greens. I added raw, red onions, sliced black olives, a hass avocado and kefir cheese. 

Dinner included homemade soup, which consisted of sautéeing onion, garlic, celery and a 1/2 of a pasilla pepper in EVOO. I added beef bones, water, chicken broth, lentils, barley, carrots, Swiss chard, squash, jalapeño pepper, anise pollen, bay leaf, basil, salt and ground pepper to the soup pot and simmered for an hour. When served, I added grated Pecarino Romano to the soup. 

After dinner, I made chamomile tea with dried chamomile flowers. I wrapped the flowers in cheese cloth and tied the top with a string. I tied the cheese cloth in a little bundle to make sure the flowers wouldn’t get get all over the pot of water, boiled the water and seeped the tea for about 30 minutes. 

Chamomile is a general name for several daisy like plants that are commonly used as an herb. According to Wikipedia, in 2009, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania concluded the first controlled clinical trial of chamomile extract for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Chamomile tea has been used as a medicine for thousands of years to calm anxiety and settle the stomach. 

A more common use for drinking chamomile tea is that it can be used to treat insomnia. Other compounds in chamomile include: sesquiterpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, phenylpropanoids, flavones, flavanols and polyacetylenes. Apigenin has demonstrated chemopreventive effects against cancer cells. Alpha-bisabolol has been shown to have antiseptic properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and reduces pepsin secretion without altering secretion of stomach acid. Yes, that was a mouthful but basically all of those compounds are benifical to treating hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstral disorders, insomnia, ulcers, gastro intestinal disorde, hemorrhoids due to the compounds listed above. 

The only downfall is that those who are allergic to ragweed, may also see adverse reactions to chamomile, due to cross reactivity.

Day 25: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

For breakfast, I had two pan fried eggs. I used coconut oil to fry my eggs this morning. For my snack, I had a fruit smoothie made with fresh spinach, wheat grass powder, coconut water, unsweetened apple cider, apple cider vinegar and ice cubes. The fruit in my smoothie was all prepped and frozen in a baggie, which included: a peach, 1/2 banana, a splash of lemon juice, puréed persimmon. For lunch, I had carne asada meat with an avocado. I also had brussel sprouts for lunch. My afternoon snack consisted of leftover baked yucca root. For dinner, I had a corn tortilla to make chips, cut the tortilla in pieces, coated with coconut oil and baked. I make the chip because I wanted to try a homemade kiwi salsa recipe I got when I volunteered at the Food Link, Food day event. The recipe called for 4 kiwis, 4 kiwi fruits, a Pasilla (green) pepper, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1 jalapeño,  1/8 cup red onion (raw), 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper. I thought the recipe could have had more kiwis, but I didn’t want to use all of my kiwis for salsa. Instead, I sliced three navel oranges and added it to the salsa. I really liked the salsa recip; it was the perfect combination of spicy, tart and sweet. I wasnt hungry during dinner time so I just had a taste of the salsa and chips. I got hungry later in the evening and decided to have a little snack, which consisted of granola and goats milk. 

The green peppers that I posted in the picture, is called a pasilla pepper. The pasilla is the pepper Iused  on the kiwi salsa. Since the color is a dark green, nearly black, I added the other peppers to the picture to make it bright and colorful. For the purpose of this post, I am going to discuss the benefits of peppers in general. Peppers are a member of the nightshade family. Peppers are the fruit of a plant: capsicum, which gives off an intensity when ingested or applied topically. There is a scale called the Scouville Scale, which measures the different intensity of peppers. According to Wikipedia, when consumed, capsaicinoids bind with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are responsible for sensing heat. Once activated, these receptors sends a message to the brain telling the body that it needs to release increase its heart rate, perspire, thus releasing endorphins. 

Some of the most common peppers are bell peppers, which have a 0 SHU meansurement. The green chili, jalapeño, Bulls eye chili and the habanero are some of the hotter peppers, but equally known all over the world. 

The various peppers contain slightly different nutritional value. But, generally speaking red chilies contain large amount of vitamin C and carotene, while yellow and green chilies contain a considerable low about of both of these substances. Most peppers are a good source of vitamin B, vitamin B6 in particular. They also contain high amounts of magnesium, post assign and iron. 

Chiles can be eaten raw, roasted, dried, steamed, sautéed and even used for medicinal purposes. Chilies are considered a safe topical analgesic for headaches, arthritis, herpes, diabetic pain, etc. 

You have have heard of pepper spray before, well the capsasin in the “pepper spray” is the irritant used for defense. Therefore, peppers are used all over the world for many different purposes. 

Day 24: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

As you can see by the picture at the top of this post, I am going to be talking about brussel sprouts today. This vegetable is a member of the cabbage family, also known as a crucifer. Other vegetables in the cruifer family include: broccoli, kale kohlrabi and collard greens. These crucifers, contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical under preliminary research for potential anti cancer properties. 

When cooked, brussels can give off a “rotten egg” odor, which comes from the organic compound containing sulfur. Roasting and sautéeing is a common way to cook brussel sprouts because it brings out the natural sweet flavors.

Cooking brussel sprouts begins with cutting the buds from the stalk. The buds are used for cooking and the stalks are discarded. Once the buds are cut and cleaned, buds can be boiled, baked, stir fried, roasted grilled or toasted. 

Brussel sprouts, are grown in a helical pattern around the side of long thin stalk. Sprouts last 3-5 weeks after harvested. They also can survive near freezing temperatures, in fact near freezing temperatures make the vegetable taste sweeter. Raw brussels contain high amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid and B vitamins. 

Brussel sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables. If you have the opportunity to go to a local health food store, farmers market or grocery store, buy the stalk, cut, clean and cook them yourself. I, on the other hand, live in a small rural community where the stalk isn’t available. In college, I would attended the weekly farmers market and buy a stalk each week. At first, cleaning the brussel sprouts can be intimidating, but once you try it, you won’t want to go back. The flavor is awesome and going to the farmers market to get them, makes the experience even more flavorful. 

This leads me to my food log for the day: breakfast included two coconut oil, fried eggs. I also had some homemade granola and goats milk. My morning snack consisted of a kiwi fruit and fresh papaya slices. For lunch I had stuffed mushrooms. I also had some homemade Rosemary and seasame crackers with chèvre cheese. For my afternoon snack, I had a sweet potato with butter and sea salt. 

For dinner, I had brussel sprouts baked with red chili flakes, sea salt and black pepper. I also had a Anjou pear with homemade liver pâté. I didn’t eat enough dinner so later in the evening I had some popcorn made with coconut oil. I seasoned the popcorn with sea salt. I also had a navel orange and two pieces of Dove, dark chocolate with almonds. The chocolate was my last cheat of the week. I have to be sure not to cheat the rest of the week. Almost done with phase 2, counting down starts now. 

Day 23: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

Yucca is an edible root, sometimes spelled “yuca.” The other names you may hear associated with this starchy vegetable are cassava, manioc, and tapioca. Yucca is cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions. The yucca plant is drought tolerable and can be grown on marginal soils.  Cassava is the third source of carbohydrates in the tropics. This staple food is eaten in parts of Latin America, South Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. 

Yucca is similar to a potato and can be classified as either bitter or sweet. It contains a more mild flavor than potato and is more fibrous. Yucca must be properly prepared before consumption, if not prepared properly levels of residual cyanide can be ingested. There are many different ways to prepare cassava. 

Yucca is rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and folate. Cassava also contains a significant thiamine, riboflavin and nicotinic acid. Cassava also contains benifical enzymes, for example 70% of amylopectin and 20% of amylose. Methionine, cysteine and cystine are, however, limiting amino acids in cassava root.

For breakfast, I had two coconut oil, pan fried eggs. For breakfast, I also had chamomile tea and kiwi fruits.  For my morning snack, I had homemade granola with kefir milk. I also had some kombucha for my snack. Lunch consisted of two corn tortillas with white rice, mixed with pinto, black beans and Tapatio hot sauce. For my afternoon snack, I had stuffed mushrooms. The recipe for the mushrooms can be found on day 17’s post. For dinner, I had carne asada seasoned with olive oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, oregano, cloves, white pepper and sea salt. On the carne asada, I had a 1/2 of an avocado and sea salt. For dinner, I also had some baked yucca root, seasoned with olive oil and sea salt. 

Day 22: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

Butternut squash has a sweet, nutty flavor and is similar to a pumpkin. Butternut squash is a fruit that grows on a vine and is used as a “vegetable” due to the use of soups and puree recipes used for making squash. This winter squash is typically prepared by peeling the skin, removing the stalk and seeds and discarding all three. Although, most people discard the seeds, they are edible and can be eaten raw or roasted with salt or other seasonings. 

The flesh contains a deep orange color, when ripe and softens when cooked. I personally enjoy tossing the cleaned squash with olive oil, sea salt and baking in the oven at 350 degrees faharenheit for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on if you prefer the squash soft or crunchy). 

Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium. This squash is also an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E. Furthermore, butternut squash contains adequate minerals, which include: phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and calcium. Lastly, butternut squash contains dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are benifical to heart health. 

My food log begins with breakfast, which included kiwi fruits. For breakfast, I also had homemade granola and goats milk. For my afternoon snack I ate some milk-chocolate chips, which was my first cheat of the week. I also had homemade ginger tea with fresh squeezed lemon. For lunch, I had homemade chili beans with a dollop of kefir cheese. I also had a baked sweet potato with butter and sea salt. For my afternoon snack, I had butternut squash and broccolini. For dinner, I had spaghetti squash with homemade meatballs and spaghetti squash. 

Day 21: The Microbiome Diet (Phase 2)

Broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli but with smaller florets and long, thin stalks. Broccolini is misunderstood as young broccoli. This vegetable is entirely consumable, the occasional yellow flower can also be eaten. Broccolini can be cooked by steaming, sautéing, frying, boiling and barbecuing. Broccolini is high in vitamin C and contains folate, calcium, vitamin A and iron. Broccolini is commonly harvested in the spring time, depending on location of cultivation. 

Although the broccolini and broccoli are different plant varieties, they are both derived from the same species. Broccoli is a different cultivar group. Broccoli is similar to cauliflower, due to the tree-like structure, branching out from the thick stalk. You may also compare broccoli to cauliflower, which are more comparable, due to the similarity of thin clusters of flowers and containing a”head,” appearing in the center of the plant. 

My food log for the day, started with breakfast which included: an apple, a few grapes and an orange slice. For breakfast, I also had a little kombucha and homemade granola with goats milk. For my morning snack, I had homemade Rosemary crackers with chèvre goats cheese and a kiwi. For lunch, I had homemade chili beans with a dollop of kefir cheese. For my afternoon snack, I had two small plums. For dinner I had, spaghetti squash with homemade meatballs and homemade spaghetti sauce (the ingredients can be found on day 20’s post). On top of the spaghetti squash, homemade meatballs and spaghetti squash, I sprinkled Pecarino Romano cheese atop. I also had a bunch of pan sautéed broccolini for dinner. The broccolini was sauetéed in an iron skillet with olive oil and sea salt. For my dessert and cheat, I had a piece of a homemade brownie. I also had a mini kit-kat bar, leftover from passing out candy on Halloween night to finalize my cheating for the week.