A wedding, an eye exam, and a life without rice or bread...

Mama getting her hair dyed!

Beautiful Wedding

Alright so I got to go to my first wedding here in Puerto Rico!  At first, Mama wasn't going to go but I after she saw how excited I was and after I told her we could dress up and get our hair done and yada yada, she was sold.  So, we started preparing for this glorious event weeks ahead of time.  Really, we started preparing Mama...meaning we had to get her a dress, accessories, hair, nails (luckily I'm her resident manicurist), shoes, etc.  She looked so beautiful!  And we got really lucky with a last minute trip to Marshall's the day of the wedding and found a little pocketbook that matched her dress exactly!  She was very excited.  So excited in fact, she didn't eat anything before we left.  She had breakfast, but that wasn't sufficient..especially because the wedding ended up being 2 hours away and while we were on time the wedding wasn't.  So, we were forced to stand out in the Puerto Rican heat for way longer than we should have.  That, unfortunately, resulted in Mama damn near passing out!  It was without a doubt one of the scarier things I`'ve experienced.  One minute she's resting on my shoulder, next she says she feels dizzy and then just starts to go down.  Luckily there were plenty of men around willing to lend a helping hand.  Thank God she did not injure herself and within a half hour was fine.  I took away some lessons from that situation and I do believe she did too.  I've tried to allow Mama to maintain her independence and I don't try to push her too much when we disagree but she now knows that there are some things that aren't negotiable...doctor visits and now, food.

LOVED the photo booth!

My favorite of the 4!

Speaking of food, I am now on a 'diet'.  Let’s have a moment of silence.  Ok, so anyone who knows me knows I don't diet.  I try to pick healthier food options, I don't eat beef or pork, but diet?!  Me?!  It's pretty hard.  Bread is my bestie and cheese is yet another great friend of mine.  Well, Friday afternoon, that all came to an end when I had my first appointment with a Naturalist.  My mom had gone to see this doctor with my aunt a few years ago and she came back raving about how on point he was with his diagnosis.  She also said she thought I'd really like him because he prescribes natural products (if you need them) and he aims to improve your health through healthier eating habits.  

Couldn't eat it but I heard it was delish!

So, upon my arrival to Puerto Rico, I asked my aunt to please make us an appointment.  Mom had warned me that appointments are made months in advance so I definitely wanted to get my foot in the door as soon as possible.  Finally, June came and it was time to see Dr. Gonzalez (no, really, he is Dr. Gonzalez and I don't believe there's any relation...but ya never know)!  The thing about this doctor is he uses a method called Iridologia.  Basically he takes a close up picture of each of your eyes and through your iris, he diagnosis you.  It may sound crazy, but my mom went and didn't tell him a thing before he looked at her eyes.  She walked out of there amazed.  He found all that she had been dealing with JUST THROUGH HER IRIS.  

Iris

Anywhoo, I walk in there and he asks me what brought me in to see him.  I found myself caught off guard because really, at the time I made the appointment, I just wanted to see what he was all about.  But, by the time I was sitting there in his chair, I realized that I had been battling with some skin issues.  The adjustment to the Puerto Rican weather has not been kind on my skin and come to think of it, my complexion was going through changes well before I got out here.  So, I went with "my skin".  We chatted a bit and then he set me up to take my photos.  By the time I walked out of there, I had a new face soap, a daily regiment of dietary supplements, face creams, a request for a thyroid exam (in two months) and a very strict diet (also for the next two months). According to Dr. Gonzalez, I am overdoing it on the bread and cheese.  I am eating a lot of starches that are filling my face with grease (hence the breakouts).  He also says I have low blood sugar because I'm eating the wrong kind of food that's not releasing the insulin I need into my body and so I'm craving sugar and continuing to snack on and eat things that contribute to the bad sugar rather than the good sugar (and so continues the vicious cycle).  My iris also told him that I’m stressed (unemployed and still struggling with the language will do that lol). 

My aunt was shocked because in her mind I eat great, I exercise and I’m not overweight.  I kinda was too, I mean those are the measures that many people diagnose themselves…as long as the exterior is ok, the interior is fine.   But, this exam went to show, that may not always be true.  Our bodies speak to us, they let us know that something is up, and usually with time.  It starts out small and we try to ignore it until it becomes something big and we can no longer ignore that a change is necessary.   I knew something was up because my skin never seemed to be able to maintain a clear complexion but I thought I could fix it with lots of water and continuing to try product after product…no dice. Therefore, I am determined to follow the doc’s instructions to a tee.  Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work and I learn how to eat without meat, bread, seafood, rice, corn, etc.  (yeah, that’s just a piece of some of my favorite things the list of things I can’t eat for the next two months)!  Best case scenario, it does work, I finally get GREAT skin and I also learn how to eat (and cook) new, interesting, delicious things that are also very good for my health.   Want to know the most interesting thing?!  I’m ALREADY taking cooking classes that are teaching me how to eat in the way the doctor just mandated me to eat (see last post).  God is so good!  I don’t know what he has planned for me but I think it’s very interesting that I was already in “training” for this new challenge before I even knew what the challenge was!

Morning supplements (yes, 9)

Now, saying you have a laundry list of things you can’t eat is one thing.  Saying your going to stick to the list is one thing.  But, waking up the next morning really hungry and actually figuring out how to stick to this new diet...that’s a whole other thing!  I literally wracked my brain for about an hour on Saturday.  What can I eat that will be appealing…fruits only isn’t going to cut it.  I don’t want this to feel like a jail sentence but when you can’t eat anything made with corn, wheat or regular flour, no eggs, no cheese, no meat, no almonds…its like come on!  So, I whipped out the book Dr. Gonzalez gave me (outlining what I can and can’t eat) determined to make something work.  The result?  Oatmeal with almond milk (yep can’t eat almonds but can have almond milk), a tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ a tablespoon of Agave Nectar, and a freshly chopped apple.  I let that simmer and when it was ready drizzled it with a bit more Agave and fresh apple slices.  Delish!  A majority of my diet calls for apples, potatoes and other root veggies so I was very proud of my breakfast!  For Linner (Lunch/Dinner Mama and I love so much) I made my famous Quinoa salad and heated up some chicken for Mama.  She boiled some ñame (a potato cousin) and I made a nice salad.  Successful day 1!  The only drawback is that 2 of the pills the doc prescribed have a horrible odor/taste.  It has definitely taken some getting use to.

Mmmm breakfast!

The wedding was also pretty tough, but luckily they had a vegetarian lasagna and a salad available (although I couldn’t eat the pasta or the eggplant).  I know what you’re thinking…Mish, this is extreme.  Believe me, my dad feels the same way, but there is a medley of things I CAN eat, the problem is they aren’t generally offered in restaurants out here….which means more cooking at home, more money saved, and more recipes mastered!  You connecting the dots for why I’m not so bummed about this?!  The only thing that I’m really concerned about is that in just a few short weeks I’ll be back in New York visiting Mom.  Mom is my master chef.  Mom’s BBQ’s are legendary.  I can’t eat a majority of the things Mom is famous for and she can’t make some of my favorite dishes!  I also have to revise my list of restaurants I had all ready to visit upon my return.  Good news is I believe Ethiopian, Thai and maybe even Indian is all still possible mmmmm I can’t wait!