The BIG NEWS: I'm pregnant!! :-) (and I'm back to the blogsphere) :-)

Me at a bit over 4 months :-)

Well the blog has been in hiatus since early April & I want to start off by saying how much I've appreciated the kind emails and messages encouraging me to post again.  It really means a lot to me to know how much you like the blog and how you actually miss it!  Thank you!  I want to apologize for not getting responding to a lot of those emails--for the last three months I have needed to disconnect completely from my blog life and focus on managing my pregnancy.  


Yup thats right folks, you heard me right.....here is the big secret news & the reason I stopped blogging for awhile:  we are pregnant!  :-)   I'm absolutely SO happy, grateful and excited about being a Mommy (our first!)!   


That said, I think its important to share honestly on this blog.  So I need to tell you all that for most of my early pregnancy I was scared, anxious and almost paralytically overwhelmed at the responsibility of nurturing a life inside my own body.  I fixated on doing the pregnancy "perfectly" (which of course is impossible) and then I critiqued myself constantly when I didn't live up to my expectations.  


I particularly felt like a failure because I wasn't able to maintain a 100% vegan diet.  All my best intentions went out the window with the nearly constant daily nausea and then I was hospitalized for food poisoning in the first trimester only to discover my blood protein levels were dangerously low.  I don't believe my low protein was because I was eating a vegan diet--I believe it was because I wasn't eating very many vegan protein sources.   For some reason eating more vegan protein just seemed to be beyond me at the time, and I got scared so I ended up turning to my old omnivore ways part of the time.


And so it went, week after week I felt sick, I was angry at myself for not enjoying this pregnancy that I longed for and not eating perfectly and I was building up a major resentment about having to work SO hard at my job when all I wanted was to stay home and rest.  In that chaotic mental state, its no wonder I didn't felt like blogging!  I just wasn't sure what I was going to say!  And even more than that, I felt like a hypocrite!  How could I possibly write about the importance of the vegan diet when I was eating meat a few times a week!!


Thank HP,  finally one of my twelve step eating recovery program friends said "Cat you need to start writing again.  Just write about how you feel & be honest.  You are eating mostly vegan anyways so just write about that."  She shared that wisdom with me two months ago and its taken me all that time to forgive myself enough to share my feelings with all of you (and to have my life calm down enough to have blogging time!).  I have such high standards for my own behavior.  When I don't meet those standards, years of program work has taught me how to be gentle with myself. And I was, gentle with myself.  Until I discovered that I had started growing a life inside of me and I seemed to forget that!


Now that I'm nearing the end of my second trimester things have changed.  I am so happy and grateful and feeling physically really good.  I'm much more able to truly celebrate the awesome gift we have been given.  I'm a LOT kinder to myself and accepting of my imperfect self.  Unsurprisingly, these good feelings have accompanied increased work in my twelve step overeating program!  I've come to accept that all the anxiety I felt at first was really me trying to control the impossible--my own body.  Over time, after I'd worked through a lot of the extremely negative body image issues (putting on weight was initially terrifying as I felt like I was heading back up to my 100lbs heavier self instead of having my body do what it was supposed to--nurture a new life!), I have been able to let go of the rigid desire to control this process & can now marvel at the changes in my body.  My hips are wider but that is because they need to support the baby better and prepare for labor. My shape has changed because the baby needs room to grow.  And so on and so forth.  I'm actually enjoying being pregnant--it really does make you feel incredible to have this life inside you.  At first it was extremely exciting and very weird to feel the baby move!  Now it just makes me smile deep inside because it is amazing to me to know that we as women have this ability to nurture life insides us--awesome.


So that is where I am :-)  In a funny way, going off my 100% anti-inflammatory vegan diet has really taught me how right my pre-pregnancy diet was for my body!  When I eat meat, sugar, gluten & dairy I have an amazing immediate reaction within 24 hours--body aches & headaches!  My GI issues have come back powerfully with the re-introduction of meat.  I know that some of you will think--well this is just due to pregnancy but I really don't believe that.  I believe it is due to the dietary changes--so over the last month I've been cutting back even further on the omnivore diet, heading back to a more predominantly vegan diet.  The trickiest part is that I really am not cooking much right now and I often get overwhelmed trying to count my protein carefully like I need to do when I eat more vegan sources. But I'm going to keep trying because I really want to raise my child in a vegan household--I just believe it is more nutritious and will help them (and my husband and I!) live longer.  I will be breastfeeding (at least I strongly intend to) so I will need to become comfortable eating more vegan protein for quite some time--would love to hear any ideas or recipes you guys have for higher protein vegan meals!  


I have done quite a bit of research this pregnancy on nutrition (among MANY other things baby & birth related) and I do think I will share some of my pregnancy-related findings on the blog.   I have been blessed to continue my abstinence unbroken in this pregnancy--which was only possible by my taking the advice of my new sponsor and others who helped me be comfortable with increased flexibility in what I consumed.   So I will share about that.   But I really want to continue to write about nutrition, recovery from obesity and medicine.  Being pregnant is obviously defining my life right now so I will write about it some--particularly some of the body image stuff because I think it is helpful to hear about that (I think its a pretty taboo subject so of course I want to talk about it!).  But the majority of my blog posts will be similar to those in the past.  


I love writing this blog and despite my broader personal diet I will continue to only write about my experiences with the vegan diet b/c I believe as a medical professional it truly is the healthiest way to live.  I've really missed sharing with all of you and I'm excited about returning!  And yes--I will share some photos of my journey :-) The photo above is not current but it does capture part of my pregnancy journey :-)


My blog posts will be much less frequent--probably about one per week instead of three or four--but I do hope you'll stay tuned in and comment.  Your words enrich my life.


So I'm back and happy to be here.  Thanks for reading & for all your love and support!  


Love,
:-)Dr. Cat

MONDAY MEDITATIONS FOR HEALING: A Commitment to Self for Caregivers

Good Morning!  Here is today's meditation to inspire your spirit to self-healing this week! 

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Today's Quote


"Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths."


~Charles H. Spurgeon 

A Commitment to Self for Caregivers 

(whether you are a healthcare provider or a family member caring for a loved one):

Today I will remember that when I worry about the future I pretend that I am actually able to control what happens.
  
I cannot. 

I am powerless over what happens.  


All I can do is focus on the present--every moment I spend in anxious anticipation is a moment I miss experiencing.


This week I will choose to let my anxiety go.

An Interview with Blogger Susan Voisin of FatFree Vegan Kitchen!!

Susan Voisin :-)

I'm so excited to finally share with my interview with the brilliant and lovely Susan Voisin!  When I first became an "Esselstyn" vegan, I really struggled to find low fat recipes that met the "Esselstyn" criteria.  One of my first recipe searches introduced me to Susan's blog:  FatFree Vegan Kitchen. It was a treasure trove of delicious & healthy recipes!!  I was SO happy to discover that my husband & I were not alone in our vegan quest AND that even though we were trying to eat fat free we could do so with pleasure since her food was (& is) SO tasty!!!  


Susan's blog is awesome and she also runs several other sites, including the Fatfree Vegan site and the The Vegan Connection.

Given how incredibly popular she AND her blog are, I never dreamed that she would be willing to be interviewed on my little blog!!  But I decided to take a leap of faith and email her to ask--imagine my absolute delight & surprise when she said yes!!!  So I sent her my questions & bless her heart, she answered everyone!!  


In the course of completing the interview process, Susan has become a friend.  She is warm, kind and humble--as you can see by this interview.  I'm so happy to share her thoughts with you today & hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!!  I know that MANY of you are HUGE fans of her (like me!) so feel free to share your love in the comments section of this post!


We are all so lucky to have  Susan as one of the first trailblazers of the vegan blogosphere--without her, none of us would be here!!  Enjoy the interview!

  
1) I read that you became a vegetarian out of your concern for animals and then you became a vegan for health reasons.  What changes have you noticed in your total body wellness after giving up meat (over 20 years ago!) and then after giving up dairy and eggs?

It’s been so long ago (18 years since I became vegan) that I can hardly remember what I felt like before. Once thing I can say for sure is that once I became vegan, I stopped getting bronchitis every winter.  Even as a vegetarian, I would get a terrible respiratory infection every winter, but that just stopped happening once I stopped eating dairy and eggs. Who knows what other maladies I might have now if I hadn’t become vegan?

2)  In medicine, I have learned that EVERYONE has an interesting life story!  Before you started your amazing blog, what did you do with your time?  Did you ever have formal training as a chef?

I’ve always liked to cook, but I never even considered a career as a chef so no, I have no training. Up until 13 years ago, I was a college English teacher. I took a break from that to be home with my daughter when she was very young, took a few online classes in website design, and started a second career building websites. Well, it was more a hobby than a career because I had only a handful of paying clients. At the same time, I built my own vegan sites, The Vegan Connection and, later, Fatfree Vegan Recipes, and found that that I was more interested in providing information to vegans than building sites for other people. But those sites didn’t really take off--and I didn’t find my true calling--until I started my blog in 2006. Blogging let me combine the things I enjoy most: cooking, writing, educating about veganism, and photography (which was something I didn’t know I’d love until I really got into it).

3)  You started your blog in 2006 and now it is well deservedly the most popular vegan blog on the net!!  What motivated you to start blogging and what do you remember fondly about those early blogging days?

What I remember most clearly is that I didn’t even know what a blog was! I was running the Fatfree Vegan site, and Karina Allrich, who had contributed recipes to the site and had just started her Gluten Free Goddess blog, suggested that I write a blog. I thought, “Why? I already have a website.” But I looked at her blog and a couple of others and thought it looked like fun. I could just write about whatever I was making that day. I figured I’d give it a try as a sort of off-shoot of the website, and if it didn’t work out, I could always stop. I never dreamed that very quickly it would turn into the most popular part of the site.  

4)  I know that you, like me, have rode the weight loss merry-go-round over the years, once losing 100 lbs yourself!  You have shared on the blog that you recently started eating differently to lose weight and be healthier.  How does your body feel now compared to before?  What advice to you have for others who struggle to become or maintain a healthy weight?

Weight and dieting are difficult subjects for me, and I don’t like to offer advice when I still struggle with my own weight. So I stick to describing what works for me--a low-fat, vegan diet centered on vegetables, fruits, and beans and avoiding processed foods like sugar and flour. When I eat that way, I feel better all around--more energetic, fewer of the aches and pains that come with aging, and less craving for processed foods. But even though I know that, I still slip up, more often that I care to admit, so I feel that I am not anyone’s role model. 

5)  You obviously have a special heart of service and we are all so grateful for everything you give those of us in the vegan community & beyond.  That said, I know that giving can sometimes deplete us.  What inspires you to keep blogging?  How do you maintain your balance in your life to continue blogging with a joyful heart?

I love blogging--the fun of creating a new recipe, of trying to capture it beautifully in a photograph, of sharing it with others, and--especially--of getting feedback from people who try it. So for me, blogging is its own inspiration. I do sometimes hit rough patches where I’m not sure where the next recipe is coming from--after having written so many, it can start to feel like I’ve exhausted the possibilities for fat-free cooking--but then I’ll read something in a cooking magazine or a reader will ask a question that will lead me to a new idea. 

The great thing about blogging is that I fit it in around my family life, not the other way around, like most “real jobs.” So when I need a vacation, I take one (and try not to stress out about time away from the blog too much).

6)  Your recipes are creative, delicious and extremely nutrient dense.  I realize that this might be like asking you to pick amongst your children but what are your favorite recipes on your blog and why?

Why, thank you! Picking my favorite child--that’s exactly how I describe it! It would be so much quicker to tell you which of the recipes I don’t like!  One of my readers recently asked me the same thing, so what I did was go back through my recipes, find the ones that I make all the time, and add them to a category on my blog, Family Favorites: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/category/favorites They’re not always the fanciest recipes, but they’re the ones I make over and over again and that my whole family loves.

7)  Speaking of children, I find it inspiring that you've shared that your teenage daughter has stayed on the veg-centered path.  What advice do you have for other Moms and Dads on how to guide their kids to eat healthfully without inciting a veg rebellion?!

I had it fairly easy because I raised E as a vegan from birth; trying to change kids’ tastes after they’ve acquired them must be so difficult, and I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with that. I think that what has kept E vegan is that I always explained to her why we eat this way, and her compassion for animals is so strong that, other than a brief flirtation with ice cream and other dairy treats, she chose to be vegan for the animals. Now, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have the typical teenage attraction to sugar and other less-healthy foods. I can’t quite get her to be as concerned for her own health as she is for animals’, though I’m sure she eats a wider variety of vegetables than most kids her age just because she was raised eating them.

So my advice is: Explain the reasons for your diet, cook vegan at home, but once your children get old enough to make their own decisions, let them--at least outside of the home. If you don’t make it a battle, they won’t have anything to rebel against and may wind up coming back to the way you taught them. 

8)  I did part of my medical training in the rural South so I can understand the challenges of maintaining veganism without much local support or resources!!  Your town of Jackson isn't really rural, but have you had a hard time getting the food and support you need there in Mississippi?  Any tips for others living in non-veg friendly areas?

Because it’s the largest city in the state, Jackson has just about any vegan specialty item I could want, as well as several international grocery stores that make it easy to pick up ingredients that people in more isolated towns might have trouble with. So even though there isn’t a thriving vegetarian community here, I’m lucky ingredients-wise.  For people who live in areas without access to specialty foods, I recommend online shopping. Practically anything can be found online these days, so take advantage of free shipping through Amazon and other retailers.  And also take advantage of the vegan communities available online; they really kept me going when there were few vegans to talk to in my “real” life.

9)  Last question!  Everyone whats to know if and when you will be publishing a cookbook!!?  Any news to share on that front?!!

Sorry--no news!  And I am totally to blame for that. I’ve had opportunities, but I really can’t decide if I want to take time away from my blog to write a cookbook. I know myself, I’m a perfectionist, and I can’t imaging being able to do a good job at both and still have a life. So we’ll see.


Thank you Susan for taking the time to share with us today!!  You can follow her blog on Facebook here & check out her amazing blog FatFree Vegan Kitchen here!


I've written about how much I love her blog here.  And have featured her recipes MANY times on the blog:  a small sample includes my "What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week" posts (here & here & here) & "Best of the Blogosphere" posts (here & here) & my "Foods that Heal" posts (here & here) & my post on Salads & on Sugar-Free sweets & Snacks!:-)  
The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Coming up! Recipes, an Interview with Susan Voisin, a NEW Healing Food, Joint Replacements & MORE!

Morning everyone!  Hope you are enjoying the Monday Meditation for today!  


I'm on the road again down in Texas but this time its much better than before because my husband, the Happy Nurse, is with me!  Thank goodness because getting sick and hospitalized when you are out of town is not fun without your hubby!  (not that I plan on getting sick this time darn it!)


I've really missed blogging and I'm excited about a bunch of posts I have coming up so I thought I'd share them with you!


This week I'm super excited to finally publish my interview with the amazing, talented & lovely Susan Voisin, author of the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog among many other things!   She is a very special person.   I'm grateful that despite her insane schedule she was kind enough to answer my numerous questions and become a friend in the process!  It was so fun getting to know her and I think you all will enjoy her interview! 


I'm also going to post my usual "What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week" feature--except it really is technically what we were eating last week.  But thats ok!  The point is to share the recipes right?  We're traveling all week this week so not much cooking on the road.  


Oh side note-- I'm reviewing a really interesting book--Chef AJ sent me her book "Unprocessed" and I'm really looking forward to trying her recipes when I get back!  Have any of you tried any of her recipes?  I'm excited because they look super yummy!!


I'm going to do a post on a new Healing Food!  I'm debating whether to focus on a high protein food or a high calcium food--two things I seem to be nutritionally deficient in these days so I can learn along with you all!  Keep an eye out for that.


And last but not least--and I'm going to apologize for the delayed posting to my reader who really wanted to prepare for her joint replacement in April-- I'm finally going to post on a great rehab topic---how to prepare for joint replacement!  I think the post will be very valuable to share with any folks you know who may be undergoing joint replacement and actually may be helpful even after joint replacement--I'm going to talk a bit about a few exercises you can do to speed your recovery & also share some pre-op nutritional recommendations based on the book: "Prescription for Nutritional Healing."  It should be a helpful combo of suggestions!


Ok so that is what is on the horizon!  Happy to be back and happy to "see" all of you!!!


Hugs,
:-) Dr. Cat


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions. 

MONDAY MEDITATIONS FOR HEALING: Positive Attitude! A Commitment to Self for Caregivers

Good Morning!  Here is today's meditation to inspire your spirit to self-healing this week! 

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Today's Quote 

"Your attitude determines your altitude!"


~Unknown

A Commitment to Self for Caregivers 

(whether you are a healthcare provider or a family member caring for a loved one):

As caregivers we are responsible for juggling many things all at once.  It is easy to become consumed by our responsibilities and begin to feel dissatisfied with our lives.      


We forget that how we feel is a CHOICE and we oftentimes become very negative--particularly towards the very people we are trying to support!  


Our resentments take over and people (including ourselves) do not enjoy spending time in our company.  We become even more "stuck" than before and can even start to feel hopelessly trapped in our own negativity.


No more.


Just for today, I will remember that I have a choice.  


I can choose a positive attitude that will lift me and those around me UP.  


Or I can choose a negative attitude that will bring me and those around me DOWN.


This week I will choose to be positive & see how far my heart will soar!

I'm back!!

Hey everyone!!  Wow have I missed blogging!  Its been a rough few weeks but I'm finally feeling more like myself and life is good :-)  I've really appreciated all the love my readers and my fellow bloggers--you guys are awesome!!  Thank you!!


Time to start posting again!  Hooray!!  I'm got some really excellent posts coming up this week so please tune back in!   


Hope you are all well and feeling good :-)


Love,
:-) Dr. Cat

MONDAY MEDITATIONS FOR HEALING: Appreciating the Present & A Commitment to Self for Caregivers

Good Morning!  Here is today's meditation to inspire your spirit to self-healing this week! 

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Today's Quote 

"Happiness is appreciating what you have, not getting what you want." 


~AA Slogan 

A Commitment to Self for Caregivers 

(whether you are a healthcare provider or a family member caring for a loved one):

Oftentimes in life we feel like IF we just had THAT one thing happen or if we were lucky like THAT person than we would be truly happy!


Unfortunately, as we wait for the magic moment where what we want comes true, we miss the rest of our life.  And sometimes, even if the magic event happens or we acquire the treasured possession, we still aren't be satisfied with where & who we are.


Today, I will pay attention to what IS happening around me instead of what MAY happen in the future.


I will notice the good things in my life TODAY & appreciate the person I am.


This week, I will commit to try to stay PRESENT in my life instead of trying to live in someone else's.