Friday Favorite- Protein Powder

 Protein powder is a great way to get extra protein in your daily diet.  I have always put protein powder in my morning smoothies.  However, I have noticed that my stomach hurt or felt unsettled after drinking a protein smoothie.  I started doing some research and discovered that Whey Protein can be quite hard to digests, especially for women.  Interesting!  Every protein powder I have ever used has been whey based.  This is when I went searching for a plant based, natural protein powder.  I came across Perfect Fit Protein Powder from the girls behind Tone It Up.  Their protein is gluten free, vegan, whey free, dairy free, and all natural.  In addition to being great in your typical smoothie, it also has the consistency of flour so it is great for using in recipes.

Let's take a closer look at the ingredients:

This is from a typical Whey Protein.

This is Perfect Fit.

You can see the difference!! The Perfect Fit Protein is filled with ingredients that we can all say and recognize.  The leading Whey Protein (which is what my husband uses) is filled with items that I can't say and don't recognize.  Are they bad for you?  Honestly, I don't know!  I don't know what they even are, but I do know they don't sit well in my stomach.

Okay- so I have completely switched to Perfect Fit Protein, now for my favorite recipe!

Perfect Fit Protein Waffle

1/2 banana mashed

1/4 cup egg whites

1/2 Tbs almond milk

1 scoop of vanilla protein

dash of cinnamon

-Mix all ingredients in a bowl

- pour into a waffle maker- spray with cooking spray first

After the waffle is finished, you can put whatever you want on top- syrup, honey, I use all natural peanut butter (ingredients read: peanuts, sea salt- nothing else!)  I little peanut butter with strawberries and there you have it!  YUMMY!! This can be breakfast but this picture is from a night when my husband was traveling and I made it for dinner.  It is so filling because of all the clean protein from the egg whites, peanut butter, and protein powder.

The Tone It Up website has other great recipes that you can use with their protein powder. 

If you are looking for a clean, plant based protein, this one is definitely worth trying!

Why Does My Stomach Always Hurt...

The title of this post says it all!!!  Seriously... WHY DOES MY STOMACH ALWAYS HURT???
My Story:
I have pretty much had a stomach ache for the past 10 years or so, the degree of pain varies- some days I feel pretty good, while other days I am in constant pain.  I can't really remember the last time I woke up without a stomach ache.  About 6-7 years ago my symptoms got pretty bad.  So I started seeing some doctors and ultimately it was found that I have endometriosis and had surgery to remove what had grown.  After that, doctors and myself alike hoped that most symptoms would begin to stop.  Unfortunately that has not been the case!  During pregnancy and while I was nursing I felt pretty good- this could be because you are not ovulating during this time so endometriosis can not grow.  Lately it has gotten pretty bad again... sooo I made it my New Year's Resolution.

Resolution:
1. Set up doctor appointments
2. Keep a food journal
3. Don't let one good day keep me from taking action

Listen I have tried this before remember this post A Journey To Healthy Living and then I posted this one Plan B.  These posts tell how I tried an Advocare cleanse and had a bad allergic reaction.  Anyways, I stuck with my resolution and visited my family doc, lady doc, and a gastroenterologist specialist.  Here is what I found...

YES- my endometriosis is growing and causing pain.  Lady doc is taking care of that.  However, I have also been found to have fructose malabsorption.  What the heck is that???  It is when your body does not absorb different types of fructose found in a ton of foods.  Here you think you are eating healthy but some of those healthy foods are exactly what is causing all that pain.  For short this is called a FODMAP diet.  When the doctor gave me a list of foods that I needed to eliminate for the next 6-8 weeks I literally wanted to cry!  Never mind! I was thinking in my head- I don't want to know what's going on with me.  I will just eat my food and have a stomach ache! ha- nope now I am educated and there is no going back!

So what's the next step- I have to follow a very strict elimination diet for the next 6-8 weeks to eliminate my body from all types of fructose.  Then I can slowly start to introduce small amounts of food from one category at a time to see what my tolerance is.  That is some serious work!!!  But my doctor promised that if I do this, I can live a life without pain.  OK- SIGN ME UP!

First thing I had to do was a TON of research.  With 5 categories of FODMAPS there is a LOT that I needed to cut out...tear drop.  This will be tough!  There are lots of great websites out there that have helped guide me through the grocery store.

Here's the original one my doctor gave me:

Meal planning has taken on a whole new challenge- I can barely get regular meals on the table every night and now they need to be gluten free, lactose free, garlic free, onion free, etc, etc.  Thank the good Lord for PINTEREST!!!

This post feels very wordy and not the kind I am use to posting- but honestly, I have been doing this diet for a week now and I feel incredible!! No bloating, cramping, constant stomach pains!! HipHipHooray!!!  On top of feeling great, I have created meals that even the hubby will happily eat!  Granted as I write this post he is next to me in bed eating sour patch kids and a box of chocolate raisins, but he ate healthy all week with me!
So if you have a stomach issues, IBS symptoms, or just want to learn more about food and healthy meals- stick with me because I will be sharing the meals that I have made that are yummy and insanely healthy and all of the other rather shocking information I have learned about some of our favorite foods!!  Excited to share some yummy recipes soon!