Research | Self Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease

I remember as a Bipolar patient that I was never supposed to question my doctors. Society thinks that doctors know everything simply because they attend college for eight years. Most people think that doctors have their patient's best interests at heart and some do, but most are more concerned with the bottom dollar than the patient.

My diagnosis has evolved over the years. It's not an easy thing to be a bipolar patient and even harder to be a misdiagnosed one. The drugs that they put you on dope you up more than illegal drugs and they pollute your liver, kidneys and brain like any other. I will go so far as to venture to say that antispychotics, antidepressants, and benzos are the kind of drugs that make you crazier than you were to begin with.

But, I digress. I want to share with you my most recent findings that suggest that what I'm suffering from was caused by a combination of GMOs and pharmaceuticals. Western medicine has given me the diagnosis of Tardive Dyskinesia, but I'm discovering that Parkinson's Disease is my true diagnosis. I'm self diagnosing myself. I'm aware that many people will think I'm crazy (what's new?!), but I say that I'm crazy like a fox. I'm not being a complacent patient anymore. I'm doing the research, standing up for what I believe in and I'm sticking to it!

Over the last six months my disease has progressed tremendously. I've gone from merely having cramping and pain (rigidity) in my left hand and arm to cramping and pain in the left shoulder and neck to cramping and pain in my right hand, arm, neck and shoulder. Since October I've developed severe dizziness from standing up (I've learned to stand up slowly, but it doesn't matter) that makes me feel faint and I've fallen a few times. Since January I've noticed a steady decline in my thought process and I find myself unable to finish my thoughts that are voiced aloud in conversation.

After researching pharmaceutical options (only two drugs for Parkinson's and one is an antipsychotic. We all know how I feel about those!) I have concluded that cannabis oil is essential for the future of my health.

Here are my educated reasons for my self diagnosis of Parkinson's:

1. I was born in Minot, North Dakota in 1974. In 1970, rapeseed began to be mass-produced in that region. Interestingly enough thereare more North Dakotans that have Parkinson's than any other place in theUnited States. The common herbicide used during that time was 2, 4-D. For those not in the know, 2, 4-D was an ingredient in Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam war. The high prevalence of the herbicide led the Center for Food Safety's report detailing how the herbicide is the reason for the greater numbers of Parkinson's in the area. Pesticides and GMOs are a leading cause of Parkinson's. I read an article that suggests that the herbicide was over everything in the Red River Basin area and babies crawling on the ground were highly susceptible to poisoning from it.

2. At every appointment my neurologist, which specializes in Parkinson’s, has questioned why my illness is progressing when typical Tardive Dyskinesia patients don’t usually progress. In fact, they are usually all better within a couple of years after taking antipsychotics. I’ve been off antipsychotics since 2011. I’ve done some research that suggests that the antipsychotics just kicked in my Parkinson’s earlier than usual.

3. My body presents the following arguments: I have a tremor, rigidity and cramping throughout my body, andorthostatic hypotension which leads to postural instability (my blood pressure gets low and I faint or fall) with dyskinesia movements (looks like my left arm is dancing, uncontrollable), and I'm beginning to experience cognitive dysfunction (I can’t finish my thoughts that are said aloud in conversation). I have three out of the four defining characteristics that are necessary to diagnose Parkinson's.

4. Unfortunately, western medicine dictates that Bradykinesia, the last characteristic, must be present to diagnose Parkinson's. Many patients who are eventually diagnosed with Parkinson's suffer from all of the symptoms for years, maybe decades  before they actually get to the slow and jerky movements. Most Parkinson's patients are diagnosed at the median age of 67.

After researching pharmaceutical options (only two drugs for Parkinson's and one is an antipsychotic. We all know how I feel about those!) I have concluded that cannabis oil is essential for the future of my health. I'm taking steps to attain the substance legally since it is not legal in the state that I live in.

I have to move to Colorado and I'm partially unhappy about my decision. I have children here and it will tear me apart to leave them, but it is my only viable hope to living a pain free life.

I have an appointment scheduled in a couple of weeks to see my specialist, Dr. Varga, but I'm unsure if she can do anything to help me. She is one of the best neurologists in Austin. She's good at being a western medical doctor, but I'm not sure if she's up to date on cannabis research and that's the kind of neurologist I need.

I may not have a medical diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, but I know what's going on with my body. I scorn all western medicine anyway. It doesn't matter what they say. It only matters if the cannabis oil works for my symptoms and it does and that's A-FUCKING-OKAY for me!

Recipe | Sinusitis Prevention Tea

I get requests from people all the time about things I do to stay healthy, but I've never saved it before...Here ya go, Tia!!! This recipe was written down just for you!!! (And for you, dear reader!)

Hi, Tia,

Okay, I'm finally sitting down to write you this recipe. Whew! I've been a little under the weather, but not with sinusitis! LOL! I haven't been sick in SEVEN months since I started this regimen and you KNOW that's huge for me (I had chronic sinusitis every month and a half for five whole years)!

Sinusitis Prevention  Tea

WARNING: This tea is highly addictive and picky children absolutely LOVE it!

I stopped taking antibiotics and started drinking this tea. I take 10 sprays when my throat starts feeling sore, I drink my Sinusitis Tea twice a day, and it keeps the bugs at bay!

Ingredients: 

Boiling water

Coffee sized mug

1 cinnamon stick (in bulk from Natural Grocer)

1 Tea Infuser spoon (see pic attached) full of Marshmallow Root (Spoon and root in bulk from Natural Grocer)

Spoonful or two of local, raw honey (I like Good Flow from HEB)

10 drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract is $14 at Natural Grocer)

1 whole dropper full of Echinacea (liquid at Natural Grocer)

1/4 tsp. Slippery Elm Bark Powder (in bulk from Natural Grocer)

Vanilla Hemp Milk to taste

Directions:

Place cinnamon stick, marshmallow root, GSE, echinacea and spoon with honey in the bottom of a coffee mug. Boil water until teapot whistles then pour it into 3/4 of the cup. Stir with both spoons. Add the slippery elm. Whip (as if whipping eggs) using both spoons. The slippery elm can be tricky to get to dissolve and I've found that the whipping motion really helps. Add vanilla milk to the top.

Once you've bought all these ingredients you'll have enough for a 3 month supply. I suggest putting the herbs in glass jars to store. The Echinacea will go faster than the GSE. The GSE will last you a year. I also recommend that you buy some colloidal silver which will run you $14 for a small bottle or $32 for a large bottle (spray is unnecessary, but I like the spray). 

Love, CC

Recipe Photos:

Tea Infuser Spoon

Marshmallow Root

Slippery Elm Bark Powder

GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)

Colloidal Silver

Wellness Journal | Storm

patient note

very stressed yesterday. i woke this morning full of pain. my instant thought was that today i was going to experience a storm attack which normally lasts from three to nine days. i had a negative thought, "oh, gawd, here comes another week of pain" and it made me panic. i recognized it and immediately counteracted it with positive thoughts of "i will be fine" and "if it's meant to be who am i to stop it?". it is an effective bandaid. still sore and in pain, but my mental ability to deal with it is ever so much better! Morning sex didn't hurt either! ;)

symptoms

pain goes from neck down to mid back over to shoulder into the ball socket and down into my elbow and into my cramped, c shaped fingers

my ring finger, middle finger, index finger and thumb are numb and in the claw position during the day
middle finger is getting worse in numbness and i can barely feel it during a storm.

dizziness when i'm just moving from one place to another on the bed and it freaks me out

mild headaches continue (probably allergies)

stress when i can't think a thought all the way through without forgetting midway and this bothers me when i have to run meetings

current treatment

once weekly meditation (i know i've been slacking!)
no pharmaceuticals
no alcohol
marijuana as pain and anxiety control
daily acv
organic diet
restricted intake of restaurant food

treatment needed

daily meditation

daily finger exercises
daily mirror exercises
daily 1 lb. weight arm exercises
three times weekly meditative yoga

diet/holistic changes needed

15 day detox
three times daily acv
candida cleanse

Wellness Journal | Off the Meds

Please note that this is a repost from my former blog, Guinea Pig.

The last week has been hell. My arm was in so much pain that I succumbed and took a pain pill. I just couldn't take the pain anymore. Marijuana helps with the pain, but when we're out of good quality medical grade, something has to do. It was stupid, stupid, stupid of me to take the pill. Yes, my pain is better, but it's my stomach that's on fire now. So, THIS is why I choose marijuana over pharmaceuticals. Marijuana never makes my stomach so ill that I can't sleep.

Pharmaceuticals create customers, they don't cure.

I'm going through the process of retraining my brain. I'm off of the Klonopins. It's probably why my week was so crappy. I'm still having a really hard time going to sleep when I want to. Last night I got up out of bed and I read a bit until I was so exhausted that I fell asleep when my head hit the pillow. I know that those meds were poisoning my body. I can tell. The last time I stopped taking anti-anxiety meds my body did the same song and dance. I can feel it going through withdrawals.

I'm doing my best to stay healthy during this time. When my body is in pain and I'm trying to detox the medications from my body, I do things like drink ACV and make my marshmallow root tea. Almost every time I've gone off meds I've noticed that my body's immune system goes down and it's protesting louder than at a rally to protest government conspiracies. My allergies get worse. My body starts to feel depraved, angry with me for even ingesting the poison in my body in the first place.

It's a battle of wills that's going on in my mind. I know that pharmaceuticals are bad for me, but yet I take them anyway due to four decades of governmental propaganda that proclaims that western medicine cures all. I know in my head that western medicine has done much in the wonders of surgery, but at what cost? It's my theory that our bodies, our very DNA have been changed by pharmaceuticals. Think about it. If GMOs can alter our DNA, then why wouldn't a chemical spliced with a plant derivative do the same?

So, I hear myself and I believe my words. I know, after so much research into the world of nutrition and psychiatric pharmaceuticals (the worst kind) that I'm right. I know that pharmaceuticals are poison. I know that, and, yet, I still took a pain pill two days ago... It pains my soul to hear it and see it written here. I didn't live up to my own expectations and I've disappointed my own self. While the pain was excruciating, I don't think that a day of no pain was worth the trauma that it does to the rest of my body the day after.

I felt weak yesterday. I felt hungover and tired and sad. Gawd, so very sad. Which brings me to another reason why we shouldn't ingest these medications. It does affect our brain. As someone with a brain disorder, as someone who once had a mental disorder, as someone who has an anxiety disorder...well, that's just HUGE. I don't want these meds to cloud my mind. Don't you ever wonder how Alzheimer's became such a big thing? It's a big thing now because our food, our medications, our air, our water are all poisoning our minds and bodies.

It saddens me that most american people think that the psychiatric industry is a wonder. Yeah, it's a wonder alright...it's a wonder that people swallow their meds like good little patients because the propaganda for Big Pharma in this country is hardcore. Try getting through one hour of regular television without seeing a pharmaceutical ad. I don't have cable, but I do have a subscription to Hulu Plus that I share with another person. If I had to buy it myself, I wouldn't, because they, too, have pharmaceutical ads (hence why I don't watch it often). There are so many ads that remind us that the government cares about us. So many ads that proclaim that we can get better by quickly swallowing an easy, peasy pill.

There's research out there that suggests that pills are damaging our bodies. The studies that say that they poison our minds as well are just not out there yet. GMO studies are taking forever to come out, but they're shocking the american people nonetheless. What do you think will happen when Big Pharma has to submit their studies to an independent researcher? Right now the corporations are doing the studies which means their data is corrupt because there's nobody policing them.

If we don't take a stand and boycott pharmaceuticals two things will happen. One is that we will die. Two is that Big Pharma and the government will win. I refuse to be a guinea pig for anyone anymore. I choose what goes into my body. It may be an inner battle some days, but I will win if I remember that there may be a lot of freedoms that have taken away from us, the American People, but I have one choice left that I can still have control over.

I won't make the same mistake again by taking a pharmaceutical and I'll say it again...

Pharmaceuticals don't make cures, they create customers.

Organic Lifestyle | An Old-Fashioned Notion of Cooking

Everything is fast these days. Fast lifestyle. Fast food. It begs me to wonder, "What ever happened to the home?" Was women's equality a good thing? Oh, yes, I'm a woman. I get that it was in it's way...but our food and our lifestyles have suffered because there's less and less women who grow up knowing how to cook, how to can, and how to bake. That's truly a travesty because it's affected how families stay healthy.

We eat fast food or we cook with microwaves. We eat standing up, we eat in the car, we eat on the street absorbing the air into our food. We eat wherever and whenever it's convenient and we don't stop to think about what that means to the body and the mind.

I don't believe in fad diets, either. Fad diets are fast. What I have in mind is a healthy, organic lifestyle. A lifestyle that I ascertain would behoove anyone who undertook it. My diet is clean and healthy and part of the reason for that is my philosophy that nothing about food should be fast. I think that makes a difference in my body, but I know that it definitely has an effect on my mind.

Everything is so very clear when your diet is clean. Pesticides affect brain cells. If it didn't why would GMOs cause Parkinson's and Autism? They cause those brain disorders because everything in your body is affected by pesticides, microwaves, coffee, alcohol, soda...the list is endless.

When I look around and I see people standing at food trucks, I see people reach for soda like it's water, I see people lining up to get their medications at Walgreen's...I see all of that and all I can feel is disgust and pity for all the poor people who don't know any better or who just don't get it. Why don't they get it? Because the food and the way they eat are poisoning their brain cells.

So much disease is happening at our hands. The American people hold their hand up and beg for more food because the food is laden with pesticides and preservatives that are pure poison and more addictive than sugar or heroin. Yeah, I said more addictive than heroin! (You have to go see this article about how oreo cookies are more addictive than heroin. It's worse than anything I can ever say.)

Not only are people addicted to fast food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, but their brain is telling them it's okay. And it's not okay. It's not okay that we don't know what good food is like. The American people did before corporations started monopolizing two of three things (the things being food, water and our spirit) that give our body sustenance.

I say that I won't let them do that to my body. I say it's time to go back to the old fashioned ways of doing things. We all need to learn how to bake and cook for our families using organic ingredients. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for your children. They are going to carry on your legacy. My children will carry on the legacy that "An Old-Fashioned Notion of Cooking" is best for your body.

Treatment Plan | The Secret: The Law of Action

I know it's been a while since I wrote last. I'm so busy lately that I barely take time to wallow in my pain. When I was ill, I wallowed a lot. I think the wallowing made my depression worse.

I've become more enlightened. That's not to say that I know everything, because I do not, but I do know more stuff that makes me happy. For example, I've learned that I'm not in control of anything. I don't control what's going to happen from day to day. I used to get so freaked out if I didn't have every little detail all planned out. Now I just wing everything. I like it. It's so freeing, but it took over a decade after someone explained that I might as well live in the moment to understand what that meant.

But, that doesn't mean I don't slip. I'm human. Like today for example. I told my S.O. that I was going to lose the function of my hand. It's totally against the Law of Attraction which is what I've been preaching and practicing until today. My pain is an 8.5 out of 10. I cried a lot today. I had a big pity party. I am crazy in pain even as I write this. My arm is screaming at me and I'm screaming at it in my head. It's not good. I know it isn't. I know that positive thinking and loving thoughts toward my arm are what I really need, but I fought that today. I just needed to wallow. Just a teeny bit.

My partner has a male nurse friend who told him the story of some girl who had pain in her arm and neck like I did. He said that after multiple surgeries the girl was worse off than she had been before she got the surgeries. I know I'm anti-conventional medicine, but I think until I heard that that I harbored some hope that science could miraculously save me even after all I know. Even as I'm typing this, I'm shaking my head at myself. Propaganda and the government gets the credit for this little brainwashing, but now my eyes are open wider and they see clearer than ever before so I can no longer hide behind the fact that the government made me do it. I know better. I made the choice to take the klonopin. No one forced me.

I'm finally getting that being on this Klonopin is a really stupid idea on my part. I know that it helped at one point, but I'm beginning to think we're past the point of it helping without increasing the dosage. I haven't been taking it as it was prescribed. I've been taking half of what the doctor said to take. A nurse would say that I should take the full dose, but I question whether or not I should because up until a couple of months ago it was working just fine. Now I'm beginning to think that my body is no longer recognizing the chemical. If it's not natural, the body rejects it. It's a fact that I know from a ton of research. If my body is rejecting it then that means that I'm going to have to start taking more and more in order to stay "healthy".

The doctor says I have another two and a half years of this tardive dyskinesia crap, but she doesn't know squat. No doctor does. It's just a big guessing game. I prefer to think of it that way, but in reality I think it's more like unethical human experimentation. We all know I'm tired of being someone else's guinea pig. Fuck the doctors and fuck the government. I'm going off the Klonopin effective immediately. I don't want any plant derivative and chemical combo. Not anymore.

Organic Lifestyle | This is a LIFESTYLE, Not A Stupid Diet That Doesn't Work!

I still have much to learn and more to grow, but here's what I've learned in the last year and this has been my consistent diet for almost a year (except I only stopped using the microwave a couple of months ago now).

I eat Organic produce, plus my own researched "Clean Conventional Produce List":

• avocados
• ginger
• turmeric
• sweet potatoes
• serrano peppers
• onions

I buy a lot of produce when I go to the store. I buy avocados (organic if my little store has them), onion, kale, spinach, carrots, apples, potatoes, and tomatoes (again if I can find them). If I cannot find organic or it's not on my "Clean Conventional Produce List" then I don't buy it. Period. I don't trust that clean thirteen list. Some of them still get a lot of pesticide sprayed on them. And, as you know, you can't wash that off. Let me say that again. Nothing will get that pesticide off. It's already poisoned your food. 

"Organic food keeps you fuller longer because your body absorbs more nutrients than conventional produce. Conventional produce has pesticides. Those pesticides invalidate the nutrients. Your body needs nutrients to survive. You need to learn to feed it what it needs." -CC Liedecke, Non-GMO Activist

Because plastic sucks I use canning jars to store food. I cook with cast iron and wooden or metal utensils.

Plastic is toxic. It's made of oil. Why would you want it touching your food? It creates hormone and metabolical imbalances. I believe this attributes to the obesity problem in the United States and I'm trying to eliminate my remaining fat from my "I'll eat fast food and anything the FDA tells me is Good Diet". Anything that comes in a plastic container from the store goes into a glass jar. My refrigerator is full of glass jars holding this or that. I don't throw away my glass jars from the food that I buy. I wash and reuse them unless it's not a size that works well in my kitchen. 

"Healthy Lifestyle Number #1 Rule: Listen to your body and know it's rules." 

I am a Vegan/Vegetarian Pescaterian and here are my Food Rules...

*Please note the available links. It give you further reasons to eat well.

I know. I'm a little weird in what I've found works for my body, but that's what we all have to do. As long as you're eating organic and listening to what works for your body then that's really all you need to do to have a healthier lifestyle!

     Meat has a lot of acidity in it and I do not recommend eating it three times a day. 

My meats are feta cheese, eggs, salmon, occasional tuna and chicken broth in my extremely occasional mexican rice. If you must eat meat, think about reducing that to once a day. Remember that dairy counts as a meat. The more meat you eat the worse it is for your body unless the rest of your diet is extremely alkaline.

     I remember that, "This is a lifestyle, not a stupid diet that doesn't work!"

I eat bread, potatoes and pasta. I'm not on Weight Watchers. I don't count carbs. My body has never felt bad after eating carbs and so I continue to eat them.

     I grow and eat sprouts with every meal.

I put sprouts in my breakfast tacos (I'm a hispanic Texas woman. I can make a mean breakfast taco!), sandwiches, greek cous cous tacos, even my vegan beans. Sprouts are healthy, nutritious and they cost next to nothing. You sprout them in a large glass pickle jar inside your apartment. You can make an entire raw garlic, sprout and vegannaise sandwich and be totally satisfied! I highly recommend it with a healthy glass of vanilla hemp milk! YUM.

     I juice vegetables and a little fruit together for breakfast. 

My juice consists of what I can find in my area that's organic, but usually includes kale, spinach, swiss chard, carrots, cucumbers, ginger, apples, cilantro, and beets (not necessarily altogether, but these ingredients are necessary for a variety of recipes). You must drink your juice within 15 minutes unless you are using a slow juicer (that stays good in the fridge for three days! I totally wish I had one!).

     I only drink hemp milk. 

I buy the Pacific original, vanilla and chocolate from HEB in Texas. I don't feel like my kitchen is complete without all three. The original is used in my kid's Annie's Mac N Cheese and any baking that I need to do. The vanilla is a yummy coffee creamer and so is the chocolate. My youngest LOVES the chocolate. Sometimes I mix it up with the original or the vanilla. It comes on the grocery shelf, so I like to have some on hand in my pantry. I never have to worry about refrigerating it until after I've opened it.

      I use coconut oil instead of butter. 

Butter is kinda gross. At least that's what I've concluded after a year of not eating it. Coconut oil took a few times of eating on toast before I accepted it's taste, but now I put it in everything. I fry everything in it. Potatoes do especially well and only a couple of teaspoons is needed for a big pan.

     I put onion and garlic in everything. 

There's not a dish that I make that doesn't have those two ingredients. They keep my immune system on guard on a consistent basis and keep the yeast at bay.

     If I feel bad after eating something, then I don't eat it again. PERIOD. 

I know that goes without saying to some people, but others continue to eat food that upsets their stomach simply because it tastes good. Taste is fleeting. Your health is not. Refer back to a healthy lifestyle's number #1 rule!

     I only eat 70% or more cacao dark chocolate.

I keep it in the dairy section in the refrigerator. It tastes the best cold. I love it for when I'm feeling hormonal or depressed. Always puts a smile on my face. I don't really miss other sweets.I don't eat much fruit. I put apples in my juice, but other than that I don't really eat fruit. I just don't crave it. I think because I lean toward the diabetic side that my body just doesn't like it. I listen to my body.

     I drink Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) twice a day. 

I pour a tablespoon in the bottom of a jelly sized canning jar and pour room temperature water to the top. I find that the ACV helps boost my immune system and it aids with any digestion problems that may arise. I can remember eating a huge bottle of tums every week until I found this trick. Now if I'm having a little indigestion I just drink some ACV. If I get a rare cold then I bump this up to three times a day.

     I take very few over the counter and pharmaceutical medications.

I have a brain disorder that does require a small dose of medication. With that disorder comes migraines, but I've found that those are few and far between if I take an Alieve when I feel one coming on. I try to limit all chemical consumption.

     I don't eat unless I'm hungry.

I know that probably goes without saying, too, but it's necessary to say. I only eat when I'm hungry. Some people are hungry all the time. If that's the case then eat smaller meals. Eventually your body will become accustomed to eating only when hungry and you will feel fuller longer. Organic food does that!

I choose not to own a microwave because they take away the nutritional value in food. 

Studies prove the microwaves change the molecules (atoms) in your food as it cooks. The human body consumes that food it is unable to metabolize that food because the body doesn't recognize that it is food. The nutritional value of the food is null and void if you place it in a microwave. Studies show that it causes immune deficiencies, lessens intelligence, creates gastro intestinal diseases, and male and female hormones are disrupted from repeated use.

I exercise my body and my brain.

Why not enjoy the exercise? Spend half an hour to an hour having vigorous sex, work up a sweat and there's no need to hit the gym. Variation in all physical activity is recommended by any good physical fitness trainer. Keeping your heart rate up for a good half and hour or so a day does your mind and body good. A little spiritual awakening like that lifts your spirit. I work in a swim here and there, too, along with a bit of yoga to keep me limber. 

I started meditating a couple of years ago. I had a difficult time letting go and I would get so mad at myself because instead of allowing my mind to be clear it would fill up with thoughts that I wanted to go away. I tried so hard to control my thoughts that it made me think meditation wasn't for me, but it so is! I just had to learn to let go and find meditations that encouraged me to be in the moment. Now I listen to guided meditations. My new favorite is Overtone Chants. Those Buddhist monks really know a thing or two about meditating. Not only can I meditate now and it gives me joy in the moment, but I've really noticed a difference in my stress levels. It's a miracle worker!

I live in the moment.

Stress is horrible and it makes people sick. I used to stress every day, all day long about everything. Now I stress about nothing. I just have learned to live in the moment. I know when I first heard that term I didn't understand what it meant, but I do now. To live in the moment is to feel everything, notice everything like this moment might be your last. You'd want to taste the air, wouldn't you? Notice how your lover blushes. Notice how blue the sky is. Notice every little thing like you're going to have to report it later to some very important person. I don't worry about the next moment. I just care about this one. This is the one that matters. I am still an ongoing project, so I falter sometimes, but I just get back up and remember the moment is what matters. You can't change the future or the past. You can only alter this moment.

I grow what I can in terra cotta pots, not plastic ones.

I'm currently growing herbs, strawberries, carrots, swiss chard and cilantro. I used to grow more food, but it's difficult in an apartment. When I was able I had kale all the time. My produce bill was a lot cheaper!

If I do not eat at home, I eat out responsibly (most of the time) and I NEVER eat fast food.

I stick to my diet as much as possible. There are some things that I can't live without that I won't buy in my home. I'm horrible about eating corn chips. I know (!), but I'm in Texas and I love guacamole. If it's chips and salsa I'll eat a few chips and then I just don't eat them. I make nachos at home a lot with non-gmo corn tortillas. My girls love them and I cook them in Sunflower Oil. I know I'm a bad, bad girl for eating those GMO chips at the restaurant, but that leads me to my last Clean Diet Rule.

I cheat on my diet once a month.

Sometimes I'll eat meat or I'll eat cheese. I try to make it organic. Sometimes I'll eat a venison or bison burger. I prefer to cheat on my Vegan/Vegetarian Pescaterian diet at home so I can control how organic the meal is. Last month I had chicken. I don't believe I'll be having chicken again. It was kind of gross. I've noticed that since I've been doing so much research and since I don't keep eating something that is not good for my body that I am so much healthier and I'm throwing out all previous notions of food!

It may not be a diet, but I'm still losing weight!

Many choose a healthy lifestyle just to look svelte. I know that attracted me initially. I try to remember that it's better to lose weight slowly and naturally. When I first started a healthy lifestyle I didn't see any weight come off right away, but the more I learned about my body the more I learned that it doesn't need to come off tomorrow and return. I need it to come off naturally and it will stay away as long as I remember the Number #1 Rule!

I just just dropped another dress size. I'm down to a size 10. That's amazing for a girl who was once a size 22. I just bought a modest bikini. I'm looking forward to slimming down to a healthy size six. The goal is not to be thin, but healthy. 

The absolute bottom line to a healthy lifestyle?

DO YOUR RESEARCH!