chez shoes's Profile

First things first: low carb is NOT "carb free." All vegetables are a source of carbs, and hey guess what? Most non-starchy vegetables are both low carb and good for you.

And yeah, polenta is a carb bomb - not low carb at all :)

I am a low carb success story - I gave up ALL refined foods as well as most grains in 2003 and have gone from WEEKLY migraines (since age 7!) to maybe one a year. However, I had to go from vegetarian to omnivore to do this.

Sometimes, your body has to come first, even before your beliefs. This was a tough realization for me, but one that was worth it in the end.

What I eat: most veggies, eggs, fish, meat, chicken, nuts, berries, and cheese. What I don't eat: most grains, wheat, soy, sugar, starchy veggies, and fruits other than berries. As you can see, it would be impossible to do this vegan.

The reason this works for migraine prevention is that unstable blood sugar is a trigger for some migraineurs. Eating low on the carb chain keeps blood sugar more stable. If your migraines are caused by something else, I can't say whether or not this will work for you, but for me, it's been a dream.

Good luck to you!

I think it's beautiful. Well done!

Emily, thanks for this! I have 12x10" of counter space in my new place - seriously. That's twelve by ten inches. I had no idea these things existed - you just improved my kitchen experience by about a thousand percent :)

My first instinct was YEAH, because I can never use all my fresh herbs before they go bad. But then I realized these aren't herbs but "spice blends" - in other words, blended with things like sugar and preservatives that I would prefer to avoid. So, I'd say NOT.

How funny, I don't care for tomatoes at all, but I *love* the scent of the foliage! I'd totally try the leaves if I had proof that they were not poisonous.

I like this, clutter and all! It looks comfortable, well-used, and cheerful.

I buy organic when it's an available option. I wish it was the norm, but we're not there yet.

Tomatoes, in any and every form. And eggs with runny yolks.

Oh and - re: the cat box, here's a great Ikea hack. Too big for my small space, but I'm trying to come up with a miniature version!

My mom put Ajinomoto in nearly everything she cooked when I was growing up. I had migraines since early childhood. I stopped eating processed foods, thus avoiding MSG, as an adult, and my migraines have gone from weekly to maybe twice-yearly if that. But still, I don't think it's an MSG issue - I eat in plenty of Asian restaurants that probably use MSG and I don't have any problems.

Instead, I blame sodium, which my mom also used very liberally (as do restaurants and processed foods manufacturers). I think in excess, it constricts the blood vessels in the brain, triggering migraines. The studies were originally done in the 1960s, the heyday of processed foods - my guess is that "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" was more the result of poor quality processed crap than MSG.