Better Health and Little Time

Since my health has greatly improved, I have become extremely delinquent in my maintenance of this blog.  I guess I'm spending so much time living my new life, that I have little time to write about my progress. 

It's been 2 years since I started taking i26 and it has totally changed my life.  As I've mentioned before, I can now eat and enjoy any foods I want without any allergic or sensitivity issues.  And believe me, I have enjoyed eating some of everything, except for meats!  With over 20 years as a fish-eating vegetarian, I just have no interest in eating (or cooking) meat.  I wish I could say the same about sugar and cheese! 

Unfortunately, my love affair with these once forbidden foods has lead to an over indulgence and some unwanted weight gain!  Fortunately, I have finally returned to my senses and, primarily for calories sake, I am severely limiting my intake of sugars and white flour.  Of course, I was well aware that these items were unhealthy, but the lure of real butter pecan ice cream and homemade strawberry shortcake was impossible to resist.  The havoc that this weight gain has had on my wardrobe is certainly making it easier to resist the temptation of all these unhealthy, high-calorie delights!

As for cheese, well, that's a different story.  Although I choose low fat cheeses whenever possible and I am cutting back on how often I eat it, I just can't give it up totally!  And why should I?  After all it is good protein!

Another Winter Season Without Getting the Flu!

Since i26 helps to balance the immune system, it stands to reason that my enhanced diet isn’t the only benefit I’ve derived from taking the supplement. I’ve been taking i26 since September 2009 and I haven’t had a cold or the flu in more than a year!  

This may not sound all that amazing for some, but for me it is. Without fail, I used to get a summer cold, several winter colds (lasting 5-10 days), and at least one bout of the flu (lasting 2-3 weeks) every year!  I started getting an annual flu shot about 15 years ago, to avoid getting the A-strain of the virus; but I still got all of the others!  I was so susceptible that it seemed as if I looked at someone with a cold, I would be sick within a couple of days!  I even tried avoiding babies and toddlers during the cold/flu season, because whatever they had, I got within days!  Being asthmatic certainly didn’t help; any hint of a respiratory infection would result in further complications and prolong the recovery time.

Ice Cream Anyone?

My favorite ice cream is Butter Pecan, but until recently I hadn't even tasted real ice cream in many years.  While I thoroughly enjoyed my dairy-free, sugar-free, coconut milk frozen dessert, aptly named Purely Decadent, it just wasn't the real thing.  My new diet allowed many good things, but for general health reasons, I was still avoiding processed sugar, white flour, anything artificial, and preservatives.

During my move last summer I ate a number of convenient foods that were not so healthy, including pizza, potato chips, and French fries.  Still lactose intolerant, I was really hesitant to give in to my number one weakness - ice cream.  My determination was wearing thin each time I passed Bruster’s Ice Cream Parlor, which was conveniently located at a traffic light en route to my new home.  One warm September afternoon, stopped by that traffic light, I decided to give in and turn in to Bruster’s.  “One scoop butter pecan on a cake cone, please.”  It was down hill from there!

It was delicious - cold and creamy, and loaded with pecans!  Interestingly, it was rather sweet for my palate, but I worked thru it, enjoying the freedom to eat my favorite warm-weather treat!  Mindful of the calories piling into my body, I vowed to treat myself only once a month; a vow I failed to keep!  Two months, and many calories later, my waistline and my doctor’s scale screamed out to me, “forget once a month, try once a year!”

Winter rescued me!  It has been unusually cold and snowy this winter, so it’s been a lot easier to bypass my favorite indulgence without a second thought.  Watch out summer!

Grapes and Wine

I’m back, again! My life has improved so much since I started i26 that I actually have the energy I need to really enjoy life. In fact, I’ve been enjoying it so much that I’ve lost track of time and neglected this blog! Well, I’m back on track and will start, once again, to post all the amazing changes that have taken place in my health and diet, thanks to i26!

In May, 2010 I mentioned that I could finally eat red grapes, but the green ones still caused itching. Well, that is no longer the case! In October I decided to give green grapes another try and to my delight, no itching! Yes! I can eat any grapes I want now and no itching! Interestingly, even though wine grapes are different from table grapes, I couldn’t tolerate white wines either. Now I can drink red wines, white wines and even rosé wines, and I’m enjoying every glass, in moderation, of course!  :-D