Wheeewwwww, am I GLAD Monday is coming! Friday night - out with my aunt...ever feel that you are participating just to appease family politics? Don't get me wrong - she is a wonderful lady but body language speaks volumes...she looked at her friend all night and barely gave me a glance. Last time for me. Called DH today at his folks and told him as much as I enjoyed myself I really felt like she was having a night out with me to check in on things. Okay, call me bad, but I would have been happier at home. It's keeping DH happy and the family. Turned my phone off - 7 phonecalls last week with everyone checking up on me - couldn't even sit down to eat and that darn phone kept ringing. Sat. afternoon, got invited for a light lunch with our new neighbours - very nice folk - enjoyed it and sat out. Today had dinner with friends (b-day for them). Enjoyed it. Somehow managed to get the bathroom painted. Now have the kitchen to do. Threw 7 bags of compost down on the front lawn, raked it in with 2 bags of grass seed and did another planter in the front. Having all out war this summer with SLUGS - they have been unusually bad - so bad I have been out with garden tools and SALT hunting them out. Actually got bio-friendly, less chemicals, slug pellets. I have worked too hard and have invested time and money enough not to have those critters eat my plants. So that has been me and I have been neglecting this post. Tomorrow I will be getting ready to start another week and SEND OUT CINNAMON FLAVOURED TOOTHPICKS!!!!! Send me an email with your details and I will send you a lovely little packet of toothpicks to chew on...they are sheer heaven! Really happy to hear of great doctor appointments, weight loss. I think I have gained with all of this entertaining. This week promises to be quieter and I should be getting back into a better routine! Take care, gotta get this butt in bed! McPeg

I have been posting in a lot of forums regarding my daughterÂs condition and if we should consider homeopathy or not. I have been getting negative responses more so than positive responses about giving homeopathy a go. We decided not to go through the surgery and see Dr. Namaya in his beautiful clinic in Vermont where we stayed for two days. I am not too fond of doctors but seeing the amount of care and attention he has given to my daughter is enough to make us go and see him again. He was very thorough and asked about everything that might lead to this disease, and he made us understand what exactly is crohnÂs disease and what it can do both to the patient and his/her loved ones. It was a learning and humbling experience for me. Dr. Namaya prepared a diet and supplement plan for my daughter that are easy to follow and effective and my daughter did not have a flare up since we started her on the supplements Dr. Namaya prescribed. He told us that we would see results within one-two months. We are going to hold a telephone visit with him this week for him to check on the progress of my daughter. My daughter is coping now, thanks to Dr. Namaya of CrohnÂs and IBS Wholistic Medical Care. Here is a link that might be useful: crohns and ibs wholistic medical care

Tina, I'm here to give you encouragement and support! :) I have made changes to my diet over the last few months and it has drastically improved my peri-menopause symptom's. I'm also forcing myself to get to bed by 10:00 if it is at all possible. I am getting more rest, eating healthier by cutting out caffeine, processed foods and sweets, eating less red meat and more fish, eating more vegetables and fruits. This has worked wonder's for me. I now have the energy to exercise again and to just start living my life normally once again. I just hope it lasts!!

Well, everybody's different, but I aim for about 20% protein, less than 20% fat (I like it closer to 10%), and the rest complex carbs overall in my diet. This is from my meal plan: Breakfast: 1/2 whole wheat bagel 1 teaspoon cream cheese 1.5 cups skim milk 1 cup orange juice Lunch: Fruit Salad Lentil, Cracked Wheat, and Vegetable Salad Dinner: Italian Pasta and Vegetable Stew Garden Salad It fills me up. Here are the recipes for the lunch and dinner items: * Exported from MasterCook * Italian Vegetable-and-Pasta Stew Recipe By : Cooking Light, Sept. 1995, page 158 Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:29 Categories : Soups And Stews Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 cups water 2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups quartered small red potatoes 1 cup dried Great Northern or navy beans 1/2 cup sliced carrot 1/2 cup quartered mushrooms 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley 1/2 pound lean boneless round steak cut into 1/2-inch pieces 14 1/2 ounces pasta-style chunky tomatoes -- (1 can) undrained 14 1/4 ounces fat-free beef broth -- (1 can) 3 cloves garlic -- chopped 1 cup sliced zucchini 1 cup torn spinach 1/2 cup uncooked alphabet or other small pasta 1 tablespoon dried rosemary -- crushed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon rubbed sage 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting for 6 hours. Add zucchini and next 7 ingredients (zucchini through nutmeg); cover and cook on high-heat setting an additional 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1-1/2 cups stew and 1 tablespoon cheese). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Ladle into individual soup bowls, and sprinkle with cheese. Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 4716 4214 0 4204 86 4787 0 1514 0 0 5663 0 4363 0 0 1302 0 0 0 * Exported from MasterCook * Lentil, Cracked Wheat, & Vegetable Salad Recipe By : Cooking Light YEAR: 1995 ISSUE: Nov/Dec PAGE: 167 Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Vegetable Salad/Dressing Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur -- cracked wheat 1 cup dried lentils 2 tablespoons olive oil -- divided 2 cups diced zucchini 2/3 cup diced green bell pepper 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 1 teaspoon grated orange rind 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper Lime wedges -- optional Combine boiling water and bulgur in a large bowl; stir well. Let stand 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Place the lentils in a large saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above lentils, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well; add to bulgur, and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, bell peppers, and onion, and saut7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add vegetables to bulgur mixture. Combine remaining oil, orange rind, orange juice, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; stir well. Add to bulgur mixture; toss gently. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired. Serving size: 1-1/2 cups. Nutr. Assoc. : 0 218 0 0 5663 0 0 4712 0 0 0 0 0 0 * Exported from MasterCook * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The fruit salad is as big as I can eat it- about 2.5-3 cups of fresh chopped fruit, no dressing or other stuff. The garden salad is 2-2.5 cups mixed greens (I like mesclin mix with Romaine lettuce and spinach), 1 cup of chopped other veggies, usually green and/or red peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, broccoli, and some shredded cheddar cheese (I don't like salad dressings). If I have them, I might put some croutons on it too. The day's plan I gave has the following nutritional info, according to Mastercook: 1210 calories 19 g fat % calories from fat 13.4% 6 g saturated fat 212 g carbohydrates % calories from carbs 67.2% 43 g fiber 61 g protein % calories from protein 19.4% I usually don't get that much fiber, but the day before was a little deficient, so I made up for it. I aim for 30 g fiber per day. I try to balance everything out weekly.