Chew your juice :-P

When faced with any condition (or any question for that matter), the internet can be your best friend and your worst enemy. Information is boundless and overwhelming. Treatment plans are varied and confusing. Your prognosis seems both hopeful and dismal. It is very important to try and stay positive in light of all of this, sift through the usefulness of it all and find the right fit for you. These days we are bombarded with quick fixes for everything and it becomes harder and harder to find a plan that has the balance your body really needs and one that is specific to your condition. I have found that the most comprehensive view of lupus - the symptoms, medications, treatments and a balanced plan of how to combat it is the Norton Protocol as explained by Julia Liu. Her e-book is affordable, easy to understand, and the treatment seems to make the most sense to me. I am going to try it, but I haven't gotten all the necessary things yet, so when I do, I'll let you know how that goes!! In the meantime, it's a good read - even if just to understand the condition better. Go to: http://lupusbible.com/.

No matter what the treatment plan is though, one thing that seems to remain constant is the role of good nutrition. From the very beginning, my mother (aka lupus warrior extraordinaire) was searching for whatever information she could find. When I was first diagnosed and put on a drug called Plaquenil, she felt there had to a safer way to recovery without all the harmful side effects of medications. She immediately began researching alternative ways to cure lupus and trust me, she has not stopped to this day. When she learned that there were a significant number of persons who went on an all raw food diet/whole foods, she immediately became a pro at juicing, shake-ing and salad-ing to get me better! The kitchen and I are not the best of friends and waking up extra early to prepare a day's worth of food before heading to school was way down on my to-do list. It was far easier to plan a trip to KFC for lunch and stock up with Doritos and soda for study sessions. But my mother's commitment to this treatment plan gave me the push I needed to at least try and make it work.

So off to school I went with a huge cooler in the trunk of my car with a green juice (callaloo, cucumber, apple and ginger), a red juice (beetroot and carrot), and a shake (oats, papaya, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)- all sweetened with pure cane juice. Nomnomnom!! There was also a salad and she was always trying to find ways to make it more and more interesting. In between, I was to try to have only fruits and water. Yes... I was in university and my mummy was packing my lunch. But, I knew I wouldn't keep up with it and it is thanks to her that I did! For one month straight, I ate an all-raw diet and never cheated. I came off my medication and at the end of it all my blood tests showed great improvement. I had so much energy and felt fantastic! Thanks Mom!!!

My doctor was pleased with my results, but not so pleased about the non-adherence to the medication. He was worried that it was too early to detect how serious it actually was. So, I went back on the medication with the firm resolve to continue eating properly. I have, to an extent, continued to eat properly. Now that I am married, my husband is very supportive by encouraging me to eat well and making sure that our meals don't include ingredients that could aggravate the lupus. There is the occasional craving for something terribly unhealthy and I indulge myself from time to time (shhhhh, don't tell him!). But you know, I find that the healthier I eat, the more I'm disappointed when I give in to a craving. Not disappointed in myself; it's just that sometimes the food doesn't taste as good as I anticipate (except KFC...why Lord, why??). I would really like to get to that stage where I am not tempted by anything that I know is not the best for me, but it is not easy! I last for a couple days of good eating and then tell myself I've done well so it's ok to cheat a little. A little then turns into a little more and the rest, as they say, is history. Discipline is a hell of a thing and I know I need more of it. Again, support is pivotal. Many times, it's because I don't want to let down those closest to me by making poor choices, that I stick to healthy habits. Of late, I think I have been better, but there's always room for improvement. My goal before the end of the year is to do another month-long all raw diet. Before December, please ask me if I've done it yet, because it was definitely a step in the right direction and needs to be revisited.

Something that has really helped me with good eatin' is getting a NutriBullet as a wedding gift, thanks to a dear friend (you know yourself chica ;-). Whenever my mother was juicing and blending, there were so many different parts of the equipment to clean and a lot trash left behind (especially from carrots). While they did a great job at extracting juice (which still blows my mind), the NutriBullet is super quick and easy. Everything gets pulverized to an easy-to-drink form and there's no waste of anything. You're using every part of the fruit (without the seeds), vegetable or nut and you can drink from the same cup you blended it all in. Part of the annoyance with eating healthy is the preparation time and cleanup time. It just always seems so time consuming (again, I'm not fond of the kitchen). But with the bullet, things are definitely easier and way more doable. I find myself getting excited to create new juices because it's actually fun! The way I see it, it's a great investment because at the end of the day, you're working towards cutting down on expensive medications and treatments. Once you get it, pop into Coronation Market once in a while for some fresh local produce. You'd be surprised how far $1000 can stretch! Again, the internet gives so many options for different shakes and juices that can help to combat almost anything. For lupus patients, it is good to find those that reduce inflammation (a constant with the condition), support (NOT boost) the immune system and balance hormones. Also, it's very important to consume lots of raw green leafy vegetables. Juicing is a great way to get a large amount of these vegetables without all the chewing and not so fun taste involved. Add a little celery, orange juice, apple or lime and that can really enhance the taste! :-)

I'll leave you with a juice that is supposed to fight inflammation:

50% spinach
Piece of pineapple
Piece of papaya
1/4 lime
1/4 lemon
1/4 grapefruit
1 tbsp flax seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
water

Happy juicing! Here's to our good health!!