The reasons behind getting healthy...

I have always considered myself to be rather health-conscious. I stay away from McDonald's as much as possible, I gave up drinking Diet Coke, and I have a V-8 instead of a candy bar in the afternoon... But with all of my denial about "it's OK if I have "this" because I haven't had "this" for a while (not remembering that I just had "this" in my denial-induced binge of 2 days ago), I still wasn't fully prepared for the diagnosis that I received recently...

• As a child, I was (as my mom put it) "Disgustingly Healthy." I didn't have any allergies. I didn't have any major illnesses. Outside of a few trips to the emergency room for my broken arm and stitches needed from time to time, I didn't start having problems until my mid teens. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. After trying several medications with no positive results, I chose to treat with ibuprofen as needed and modify my diet.

• Later in life, I found that I was hypoglycemic. I tend to get shaky when I don't eat. When I tried diets that restrict carbs, it was worse. I decided that oatmeal for breakfast was a good thing.

• After I got married, I gradually gained 50 pounds over 10 years. I convinced myself that the weight gain was genetic and that I couldn't really do anything about it.

• I have been told by my doctor that my gall bladder doesn't work the way it should and that I'm not producing enough bile to break down the fats in my diet. I naturally stay away from anything too fatty to compensate for this, but that isn't good for my RA, which is helped by adding Omega-3 fatty acids (and all the other Omega- fats) to my diet. My cholesterol is higher than normal because I'm not digesting the fats properly. There is a suppliment that I get from my doctor to help my gall bladder along, but I am not very consistent with taking it.

• Throughout the years, I have developed several allergies. We had to get rid of our cats and I have a sensitivity to my dogs. I sneeze explosively when exposed to dust, mold, or fragrances.

• This past winter, I was exposed to mold in my kitchen cabinets. That exposure caused bronchitis and asthma. Through my treatment for the bronchitis and asthma, my doctor decided to do blood work to determine what I am allergic to.

• The test results came in... I am allergic to eggs... Research done thus far leads me to believe that I have a mild egg allergy that affects my resperatory system. My doctor believes that my sensitivity to my dogs, dust, and fragrance are a result of the egg allergy leaving my system compromised (basically, my body reacts to everything because it was left susceptible from the egg allergy).

So, now that I've gone through the background, it is time for me to get off my butt and change my lifestyle. I need to come up with a diet plan that takes all of my issues into consideration. I believe that diet can control illnesses when done properly.

So, join me as I try to figure this out. As I try new things, I'll post product reviews and recipes. I'll also catalog a daily diet/activity diary, but this is primarily for my records, to help me keep track of everything. If it is helpful to you, my reader, than great!