Dietary update

Sunday, June 17, 2012

One night, Noel and I were bored after dinner.  Flipping through Netflix... there's nothing good to watch!  Or at least, nothing that caught our eye.

Hmmmm... tired of scrolling through a TON of video titles... I decide that we will watch the next one that has 4 stars!

Ahhhhh... the video that we landed on is called "Fat, Sick, & nearly Dead."  Grrrrrr.... do we really have to watch this?  Sounds so boring!  *internal grumbling*  However... turned out to not be so bad.  The video's about an overweight man with medical issues... he decides to go on a veggie/fruit juice only diet.  The diet resulted in weight loss, improvement in health, and the determination to change his health life for the better.  Another guy with similar medical issues does the same process and likes how he feels so much that he convinces others to join him.

Why don't we try it?  We borrow my parents' juicer... sooooo much cleaning and looks like a lot of wasted side products.  How about the juice?  Ummm, not that bad... I couldn't live off of it though.  Nope... not happening.  *wry grin*

Recently being so tired, turns out that my red blood cell count is really really low again (7.7).  My doctor tested my iron... that was super low too!  My iron level was 12 as of June 12th.  Normal iron levels are between 40 and 160... so basically, I don't have enough iron for my body to produce red blood cells.

Okay... easy enough fix right?  I just have to eat more iron-rich foods... well, I'm eating tofu daily, beans, spinach... a lot of the main plant-based sources of iron... so if my iron levels are still low, that means that my body's not absorbing the iron I do eat.  Two reasons... I may need more vitamin C to increase my body's absorption of iron or... my body has difficulty with absorbing iron from plant products.  My other option is to eat meat.  Meat contains a more easily absorbed form of iron.  *drool*  Meat.... yummy!

The other day, I ate a single meatball my sister made... the next day... wow, I felt so alive!  *smirk*  Guess I'm a meat eater through and through huh?  Because of my iron absorption needs, I'll probably focus on re-adding small amounts of meat to my diet once or twice a week... maybe.  I'm kinda lazy in shopping and have actually gotten to love eating a more vegan-based variety of foods.  *wide grin*  Who woulda thought I'd ever say this?  =D

Lord Father God.... hehehheeee, thought I'd have fun and combine all the titles I use when I think of you... thank you for this life I have.  *hugs*  Even with the hardships and times when my body's not working quite right... I'm really enjoying it!  Thank you for this body I've been given.  Thank you for the work I'm able to complete.  Thank you for energy to make it through each day.  Thank you for my husband who shows me how much he loves me in so many different ways.  *wide grin*  Lord, I'm given so much... thank you for opening my eyes to appreciate your blessings so that I can more fully enjoy your gifts.  

You'd think I'd learn better ways to rest right?  Well Father, I'm having to re-learn it!  I'm so eager to pack my schedule, hang out with friends, see family, get chores done, and read manga... but slowly, I get drained more and more.  Father God, help me to balance my life a little... on my own, I don't have much motivation because everything interests me!  But I need rest too... so please give me the wisdom in how best to manage my life while honoring you!  As is... I use fatigue as an excuse to read manga and zone-out watching TV while flopped on the couch... but Lord, I find the most rest when I spend time with you (which I totally haven't been doing)... so Father, turn my heart around to prioritize spending time with you first, then family, then friends, then jobs and responsibilities.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.  *deep bow*

Hurray!  It's just so relaxing to live a life I don't need to worry about... to know that when I lean on my God, everything will be taken care of better than I can even imagine!  So the hard part?  Spending time with God and learning more of him so that I can better hear his voice.  I really do find it true that as I abide in my Lord Jesus Christ, I receive in abundance: peace, joy, fulfillment, hope... and the knowledge that my life is in the most capable hands ever!  What more can I want?  Well.... hehehheee... there's always a LOT of "things" I want... but so far... God's more than proven to me that he knows what I truly want and gives me the heart of my dreams... way better than getting a cheap substitution... I get gifted with gifts beyond my imagination!  And why?  Because I have a Father God who loves me so much that he delights in me regardless of my thoughts and my actions.... Yeah... you can say it... I'm spoiled!  Heheheheeeee... spoiled and proud of it!  *impish grin*

Happy Father's Day to all my Dads!  Laters!  =D