My battle with Candida!

Hello Hello!
I wanted to dedicate a blog post to candida. A nasty little yeast that when given the proper (toxic) conditions in the body, will proliferate and cause all kinds of problems! I will be using the copy/paste function a lot in this post :)
Candida: Candida yeast is a part of the gut flora, a group of microorganisms that live in your mouth and intestine. When the Candida population starts getting out of control it weakens the intestinal wall, penetrating through into the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body. As it spreads it produces toxic by-products that cause damage to your body tissues and organs, wreaking havoc on your immune system. The major waste product of yeast cell activity is Acetaldehyde, a poisonous toxin that promotes free radical activity in the body. Acetaldehyde is also converted by the liver into ethanol (drinking alcohol). (from www.thecandidadiet.com)
Experts estimate that over 80% of the population suffers from candidiasis (an overgrowth of this yeast). Things that can trigger the overgrowth can be anything from a round of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, diets high in sugar and carbs, or even a period of stress.
Here is a link to some of the symptoms of candidiasis: http://www.thecandidadiet.com/candidasymptoms.html
I have been battling candida with my son. He started getting a rash when he was a few months old. It didn't seem to bother him, so I didn't really mess with it other than try to keep it moisturized. Several months in I finally had it diagnosed. The diagnosis was yeast and the treatment was a special diet and several supplements.
The reason I am writing this post is because I believe that this special diet/detox to kill candida is a great way to start a program! I believe it can benefit everyone! The diet is a ZERO sugar (or sugar substitute, so no 'diet' crap) and ZERO carb (with few exceptions) diet. There are a couple grains such as quinoa and brown rice that you can have in stage 1 of the diet. The website I have been posting from, www.thecandidadiet.com, has lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid. I have the lists printed and up on my fridge :) I started the diet for my son, and in only a couple days I felt better, had more energy, and my son's rash had gotten almost 100% better! If you are serious about killing the candida you will want to add a few supplements to your routine. Including a great fish oil, a probiotic, B12, and I also take a garlic supp (and a few other things specific to mine and my son's needs) So that is my rant on Candida!! I hope some of you try the diet out!!
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
— Hippocrates

My road back from baby

Hi friends!! I wanted to sit down and write from the heart tonight. I want all of my fans to know who I am, what I stand for, and how I got here. I follow a fellow blogger who coined herself 'hybridrasta mama'. I love this. I am definitely a hybrid. I take a little of this and a little of that. Through a lot of research, listening to my instinct, and some very key people, I have come to live a lifestyle that works best for my son and me. I want to state for the record that I am not perfect. I do the best that I can. My journey has been full of fun, hard work, tough times, curve balls, losing, winning...you name it. I want to use this blog from now on to motivate and educate. This particular one will tell a little about my personal story.

The Journey:
I started competing in 2008, and took the stage at my first NPC show in the summer of 09. Dieting for a show is tough! But the rewards were worth it! I met so many awesome people and loved every minute of it all! Then I got pregnant in December of 09. During my pregnancy I suffered from depression and gained a lot of weight. That kind of abrupt lifestyle change played tricks on my mind. However, once I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, I knew it had all been worth it, but that I had a lot of work to do to get my body back!! I probably tipped the scale at 215 by the time I gave birth (I have never admitted that until just now), my pre-pregnancy weight was 145. That is a whopping 70lbs! I had decided during my pregnancy that I would definitely nurse my baby, and I think I can attribute a lot of my weight loss to that! However it was very slow in the beginning. I wasn't willing to put the baby in the childcare center at the gym when he was super little, so I did what I could at home as far as working out. But I didn't cut calories for fear of messing up my milk supply. I would say when the baby was about 7 months old I started back at the gym intermittently, but it wasn't until he was around 9 1/2 months that I started making it to the gym regularly. He just turned 10 months and I am at the gym 5 days/week now! I do all my cardio at home while he sleeps still which I love. My current weight is 132!! So I have lost 83lbs. to date! The goal is 129 by August 13, which happens to be my 29th birthday and the Europa super show. I am still nursing my sweet baby (the goal is a year) and I won't have complete control over my body until I am through with that, but he is worth the wait as far as I am concerned :) That is my story to date! I hope any of you momma's out there that might read this find it inspiring! It has not been easy for me, but it has all been worth it!! I have big plans to make it back to the stage and I won't stop til I get there!!
'Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.' -Saint Francis de Sales
See you soon!! Jen

Website Wednesday!!

I think I am going to start a trend of sharing helpful websites with you on Wednesdays!! So for this first entry I will share with you one of my all time favorite sites!! If you follow me at all you know I am a huge stickler for eating and living in an organic 'intended life' sort of way. I am not perfect, but I do my best!! My absolute go to website for all things health and wellness (and more) is www.naturalnews.com This website has several contributing writers and also searches the web for relevant articles regarding health and wellness. The main guy Mike Adams, aka 'The Health Ranger' has a passion for health and wellness! His articles are wonderfully informative and I highly recommend you all go check out the site and read a couple articles! You will get hooked!! He also has tons of videos to watch and be sure to use the search box, type anything from benefits of garlic, to breastfeeding he will have articles on it!! He also does reviews on supplements, which is extremely helpful since there are tons and tons out there to choose from!! I hope you will all take the time to go check it out, please feel free to leave comments about what you think!! Thanks everyone, make it productive hump day :)

Also be sure and look back through my older blogs!! There is some good stuff from way back when :)
Side note: A couple movies I recommend that will change the way you look at food are; Food Inc., Killer at Large, and Food Matters

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. -- Hippocrates, father of medicine, 431 B.C.