My body, my rules - when healthy trends don’t fit your body

tinabrezpike in GEMS • last month (edited)

A few years ago, I decided to change my eating habits and become vegetarian. Sounds nice, right?
Well… after a few weeks my body said NOPE. Zero energy, always tired, feeling weak...and this was with me trying to get all the right vitamins: B12, iron, calcium, zinc, omega-3… everything.

I did a lot of research, and that’s where the first problem appeared: vitamin B12. You mostly get it from dairy or cereals. But because of Crohn’s disease, my intestines are not friends with milk and dairy..I won't drink it, but I use it for cooking and baking when I'm in remission.

Then there’s iron, calcium, zinc, etc. Most of them come from legumes, seeds, and nuts. Guess what? My intestines hate those too. So I became more and more tired, sleepy, and weak. My body was clearly not happy.

I also tried that lifestyle with fish only... pesc… pesceta… pescetarian? (I still can’t say it 😂). I love seafood and honestly thought: “This is it! No meat, I’ll be strong again!”
Oh… I was wrong.

After a lot of trying, research, and listening to my body, I accepted the truth...my body needs meat. I take many pills that already make my body weaker, so food is very important for me. Now I eat meat 4–5 times a week, plus seafood (again...my favorite 😍). I also drink magnesium and calcium every day... one glass a day!

Small problem... fresh seafood here is almost impossible to get. I don’t live near the sea, and yes, fresh is always better. Most fish travels from Spain or Norway before it reaches my plate. Long journey, little fish 😉
But when I go to the sea? First thing I order? YES...SEAFOOD. ALL OF IT. (Spain, I’m waiting for you!)

Today I couldn’t decide what to cook. My husband went to the shop and came back with octopus and salmon. Best. Husband. Ever. 😉
The octopus was already pre-cooked, so straight into the oven...easy life. Not perfect, but close enough to feeling like I’m eating by the beach.

Best side dish with octopus and salmon? Mashed potatoes.
Not to brag… but I make the best mashed potatoes 😉
You know how to do it? Boil the potatoes until soft, add a bit of milk, sour cream, butter, and salt. No measurements...I cook by taste. Yes, I’m a pro 😎

And for the salmon?
Garlic, parsley, butter, lemon juice, salt. Mix it, spread it on the salmon, oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Done.

Octopus goes in the oven too.About 15 minutes until a little crunchy.

Ahhh… perfect meal. I’m happy. My tummy is full. Life is good 😊

So no, I can’t be vegetarian. Also, being near the sea and not eating fresh seafood? That would make me cry.
And we don’t want that 😉

If you have a different salmon recipe, feel free to share it in the comments 😉

With love, @tinabrezpike ❤️

#curangel #curie #food #life #health #foodies #ocd

last month in GEMS by tinabrezpike

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zekepickleman last month

Vegetarian diet is so beneficial and eliminating the drawbacks of red meat is solid. It definitely has its challenges with replacing the nutrients from meat in a healthy and affordable way but nothing should be more valuable than working on our health!

Definitely tougher when you have other issues like you mention. I bet being mindful and reducing red meat in place of complete vegetarianism would be somewhat beneficial still. Looks like you do very well with the seafood and fish! Now I am hungry! ;)

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tinabrezpike last month

I try not to eat too much meat, but I work 12 hours, and I need energy... but when I'm free, I try not to... My body tells me when I need it 😂 Unfortunately, there’s no sea nearby... I’d probably eat seafood five times a week 😂 and now I’m hungry too... 😒😔

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warrkin last month

I'll need to write a story of how I randomly met a guy from Graz that comes to Izola few times a year, east only fishes he catches in the year, freezes them and drives back home somewhere in Graz to finish his holiday :)

We're meeting up again for a day, two maybe three of night fishing off shore somewhere in April.

We don't even know how fresh fishes from the sea even taste! Fresher it is, healthier it is to eat and our body is thankful for it.

Small thing to add and maybe your body will also like it better is salt. Not just any kind of it. When you go to your homeland, look for rough unprocessed sea salt from soline (Hofer sells it). I use it for additional electrolytes.

Lep vikend ti želim!

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tinabrezpike last month

Oh... people from Graz going fishing in Slovenia 😂😂 I would love to hear this story...💪
I have this salt 😂 and apparently I already put too much salt on my food... so this isn't a problem 😂 Wishing you a great weekend... I'm working, so it's not exactly a relaxing weekend 😂

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beelzael last month

I tried many supplements for years. B12 was always the biggest as a vegan, sometimes iron - but I got that under control through food and better focus on it. But now, as I passed the 35 years, the body is working differently. My brother brought me a mix of magnesium, VitK and VitD, and within a week I felt a huge different in my energy level.

Most likely culprit of me being overly tired before? Yes, stress, too, but mostly Vitamin D. In freaking Ecuador. As a white guy who is outside quite a bit. I couldn't believe it, but apparently it's not so uncommon.

Every body is different. There are no rules in nutrition, nothing is super certain. I'm glad you found your way, especially with that dang disease.

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livinguktaiwan last month

We haven't tried oven baked octopus as I'm worried it might be very chewy.

Have you tried boiling it in water? Takes about 20 minutes until you can stick a fork in. Then pan fry quickly in butter or olive oil to serve, it's very succulent. Salmon can be pan fried at the same time. They don't take long to cook

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tinabrezpike last month

It was already cooked... It's so hard to buy fresh octopus here 😒, but next time I will definitely try to make it in a pan… thanks ;)

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livinguktaiwan last month

We found uncooked frozen ones at Aldi recently, maybe check yours if you have an Aldi nearby

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tinabrezpike last month

Ooh, yeah, maybe there 🤔 we have Hofer, but apparently it's the same... I'm going to check tomorrow. Thanks ☺️

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