As with anybody who is on medication knows, I have experienced constipation due to the PD meds! Yes ladies and gentlemen I'm talking about it. I think Dr. Oz would be proud of me!
Today I am sharing links to wonderful videos that are teaching me what to buy when I grocery shop tomorrow. The links and information below is courtesy of The Daniel Plan.
Dr. Mark Hyman takes a few minutes to reveal what’s really included on packaged food labels. In general, when reading a food label, he recommends that if you can’t pronounce it or if it has more than 5 ingredients, then put it down. Additionally, he reveals other tricks food marketers use to keep consumers eating more. Instead, eat whole foods without labels, and if you must, read the labels and know what to avoid!
This is a program to live a healthier life through diet and exercise. One of the most important things that I must do for Parkinson's is to eat healthy, nutritious foods and continue my exercise regime.
Today I am incorporating Konjac into my diet. What is it?
Konjac foods - Shirataki noodles ....
Konjac Root
Konjac Tree
are naturally water soluble fiber with no fat, sugar, starch, or protein.
contain zero net carbohydrates and zero calories.
are wheat and gluten free.
pure Vegetable
can be stored in the room temperature for about one year. Don't need refrigeration
JAS (Japan Agricultural Standard) Certified Organic
are translucent and gelatinous, with no flavor of their own - they easily absorb the dominant flavors of any soup or dish.
Konjac Angel Hair
are instant and come in a variety of styles and shapes - you can simply toss salsa with Konjac instant pasta for a quick meal.
What am I going to do with them? Well I have decided to make Chef Scott Conant's Tomato Basil Spaghetti sauce and using the Konjac Angel Hair Pasta instead of traditional pasta.
Stay tuned and I will let you know how it turns out!
The Daniel Plan Info: http: //www.saddleback.com/thedanielplan
Konjac Foods Info: http://www.konjacfoods.com/index.htm#1
Chef Scott Conant's Recipe: http://gregrafferty.posterous.com/making-scarpettas-tomato-basil-spaghetti-with-0
Today was a very bittersweet day for me. I got to spend time with my mom because she had a doctor's appointment.
My mother Martha, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when she was about 65 years old and currently lives in a beautiful nursing home in Pasadena, CA. So when my mother needs to go to the doctor, the nursing home makes arrangements for medical transportation and I meet her there so that I can be her patient advocate.
My M
I no longer drive because of Parkinson's, I went on a public transportation adventure in order to meet my mom at the doctors. My mother's appointment was at 11:15 a.m., and the doctors office is approximately 25 miles from my home, I left at 8:30 a.m. to catch the first leg of my journey, an LA metro bus. Line 244 picked me up three blocks away from my house and deposited me 2 miles away at the De Soto Orange line station. 45 minutes later, I boarded the LA Rapid Transit Red Line (yes, Los Angeles has a Metro System!) at the NoHo station (that's what we call North Hollywood) going towards Union Station. 12 minutes later I was emerging from the subway @ Vermont and Sunset right where the Dr.'s office is.
I would like to begin by telling you a little about myself, I was born in Cuba and emigrated to the Untied States as a child when my country was taken over by a Communist Dictatorship (not naming names, but you know who I mean).
My widowed mother and I lived in Miami Beach, for the first 4 years. We then moved to California and lived in Santa Monica where I attended school. I married at the tender age of 17, mind you I didn't have to I was a virgin but somehow I thought it was a great idea at the time. Who knew? The marriage ended 4 years later.
I worked for Bank of America and Beverly Hills National Bank and then change careers and went to work for Kaiser Permanente, on a temporary assignment that lasted 35 years!
In the fall of 2007 while working as a Senior Project Manager on a huge project implementing a full electronic medical record at Kaiser, a project which I worked on for what seemed to be the last 10 years of my life, I was hospitalized and eventually was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This was quite a blow as my mother had been suffering from Parkinson's since the age of 67, and at 88 years of age is wheelchair bound and living in a nursing facility.
What I can only credit to the grace of God, I was able to transition from working 12 to 14 hour days and traveling for Kaiser five days a week, to being on long-term disability which eventually led to early retirement. In 2008 I stopped driving due to Parkinson's.
In the last three years I have attempted to forge a life for myself that allows me to use all the gifts that God has given me in a non-traditional way within the limitations of PD.
So I asked myself what do I love and what do I want to accomplish? Well I love to travel, I love to eat, and I love to cook. So I started a blog dedicated to showing the world that while I might I have Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease doesn't have me!
In the blog “Bianca The Foodie Cooks” I cook, I share tips and gadgets, I hopefully make you smile! Most importantly, it is my desire to show the World that life can be lived richly after PD. I pray the blog will also give HOPE to my fellow PD brothers and sisters.
Join me on my journey! It will include posting videos of me cooking, travels to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in February, 2011 and other marvelous places as well as a glimpse of my life.
My plan is to not hide a thing, so sometimes you will see trembling because that's who I am today and I'm proud of what I'm accomplishing!
I am committed to improving my life by making a change in how I eat and how I exercise.
Gone are the days when I eat junk food, fast food. I want to eat healthy and I know that I can still love food and accomplish that goal.
I will use whole foods, eat from the "rainbow", organic whenever possible,
I will not consume high fructose or hydrogenated fat! Don't drink your calories and juices are NOT the way to go!
I have begun to be good to my body in a way that I have never been before. This is the only body I've got and I am committed to treating it right and that will include continuing to exercise daily within the limitations of Parkinson's disease. The funny thing is that the more I exercise, the better I feel in the better I manage my symptoms!
OK so I bought too many eggplants! A yes, I didn't have ALL the ingredients that Chef Emeril used. But HEY you got to go with what you have! It's delicious and easy to fix side dish or veggie main dish!
After I was diagnosed with Parkinson's, I basically stopped cooking. I convinced myself that watching the Food Network and attending the South Beach Wine and Food Festival once a year to watch my favorite Food Network Chefs cook was "IT" for me now that I had PD.
However, something happened this year, the switch was turned on in my head and I realized with the right kind of tools, I could still indulge in one of my favorite things to do, cook for others! I don't have to be a wizard with knifes, there are plenty of gadgets that allow me to chop, slice, julienne, cube, chiffonade, etc. And the truth is that my greatest asset has always been my palate and my ability to conceptualize how ingredients will work together - those 2 gifts I still have!
After cooking Christmas dinner, 2010, I decided to cook this great dish and film it! I used a Flip camera (LOVE IT) and a tiny tripod. I did all the cooking, all the prep work thanks to my "gadgets", all the videography and all the cleaning myself! Yes the camera trembles at time, but hey that's how I role! I got PD but PD does not have me!
