Category Archives: Health and Diseases

Food - General, Health and Diseases

What I’ve Been Up To – Missing Emmett

Dear All’s Fare Food Blog loyal readers,

I know that it’s been more than two years since my last post and almost three since I’ve posted regularly. I thank you for your continued support.

This past year has been a difficult one for me and my family. We lost our first son, Emmett John Michael, in late April. I’ve just recently started to write again in an effort to share our story and help get more awareness around miscarriage and baby loss.

Recent research suggests that nearly 1 out of every 4 pregnancies end in loss, miscarriage, or stillbirth. So, how come we don’t hear about it more? My hope is that by sharing our family’s story, other families won’t feel so alone or isolated.

If you’d like, you can read more about Emmett’s story here and see our most recent blog posts here. If you know someone who’s gone through miscarriage or baby loss, please share our story with them.

Perhaps one day I may return to this blog and continue my foodie adventures around the world. However, for now, I feel my calling is to help other mothers who are living without children cope, grieve and remember their babies.

Sincerely,

Christina ❤

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Dieting, Food - General, Health and Diseases

Being Proactive With Nutrition As A Cancer Patient

 

Picture by Bill Ebbesen, use under Creative Commons

If you’re a regular reader to the blog, you’ll know that sometimes we discuss my own personal health struggles living with fibromyalgia, chronic anemia and migraines. But today we venture away from those ailments to hear from Jillian McKee, an advocate from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. She has healthy eating tips for people with cancer.

Unfortunately, in today’s world one of the sad realities is that most people in some way have been affected by cancer. It has either taken away a loved one or a friend, or affected him/her personally. For me, my husband’s mother was taken by the evil C-word when he was a child. It also recently stunned the life of a dear friend.

While there is no cure for cancer, there are treatments to help combat it. But after the chemo and other therapies of modern medicine, some times people want to try other methods to improve their life and well-being. There are complementary and alternative treatments – such as dietary changes – to help a person be more proactive and take control of his or her health.

Take it away, Jillian…

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Cuisine - Desserts, Health and Diseases, Recipes

Gluten-free Cookie Dough Dip

Wow, has it really been more than a month since my last post? That is totally unacceptable! Well, I hope you accept my deepest apologies for my long absence. It has been quite a crazy, busy last few weeks at work, which has been leaving me mentally (and physically) exhausted, not to mention my health has been a bit wacky.

My stomach issues are improving but I’m still under supervision by a gastroenterologist and I have a follow-up appointment on Monday to go over some additional tests after my colonoscopy last month. (You should be glad I was absent from blogging – I was thinking of live blogging the prep portion of the test…I figured that doesn’t go too well with a food blog…)

My appetite still isn’t 100 percent so I’ve been laying low recently. Brett and I haven’t been eating out as much as usual recently, although we did try a new breakfast spot in nearby Peabody, which I’ll post a review one of these days in the near future. I also still have a couple of brief updates from my quickie trip to Disney in early May.

If you’ve been following my blog for the last few months, you may have noticed an increase in gluten-free recipes. Well, that’s a hint as to why I’m seeing a GI specialist. There is a possibility that I may have Celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. Even if my tests don’t come back positive, I more than likely in the next few months will be going gluten-free to help alleviate some of the painful migraines and fibromyalgia symptoms that I’ve been enduring recently.

Today, I wanted to share with you this gluten-free, dairy-free, potentially sugar-free recipe for a cookie dough dip that will have you begging for more. Surprisingly, it’s secret ingredient is (gasp!) – beans!

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Cuisine - American, Cuisine - Desserts, Disney World, Health and Diseases, Recipes

The Best of 2011

Mickey Mouse Silhouette Cake Pops2011 marked my first full year of food blogging. It had its ups and downs – from almost burning down our new apartment baking a cheesecake to some really simple (but awesome recipes) like these homemade peanut butter cups.

Here’s a look back at the most popular posts (based on the number of views) that were published last year:

1. Recipe: Biko (Filipino Sticky Rice Dessert) – March 14, 2011
2. DIY: Mickey Mouse Cake Pops – Oct. 31, 2011
3. Chocolate Lover’s Month at Dunkin’ Donuts – Feb. 14, 2011
4. Dining on the Disney Dream – Pt. 1 – May 18, 2011 – Guest blog by Disney Food Blog’s AJ Wolfe
5. Dining Reservations at Walt Disney World – July 26, 2011
6. Cookie-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies – March 2, 2011
7. Dining on the Disney Dream – Pt. 2 – May 21, 2011 – Guest post by AJ Wolfe
8. Taste Test: Blueberry-Flavored Greek Yogurt – April 10, 2011 – Guest blog by Brett Finnell
9. Cupcake Camp Boston 2011 – April 14, 2011
10. Review: Blue’s Egg – Jan. 3, 2011

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Health and Diseases

What is Fibromyalgia?

I’m going to digress from my usual post about food to discuss something that has recently become a part of my life. If you’re a regular follower of the blog, you’ll know that I have been undergoing some health issues in the past year – from problems with anemia getting under control as well as losing weight in preparation for family planning.

Since my last health update in June, I started noticing horrible stiffness and pain in the joints of my knees, hands, wrists and ankles. The pain was enough to cause horrible insomnia – sometimes only getting two or three hours of broken sleep at night. The overall fatigue that I was feeling in the earlier part of the year had improved slightly, but I still didn’t have 100 percent of my energy back. Yet, blood tests were all coming back normal.

My primary care doctor decided it was time to test me for some rheumatic diseases – something I’m all too familiar with because of my full-time job as communications manager at the Scleroderma Foundation’s National office. Tests were run to see if I possibly had lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, and I was scheduled to see a rheumatologist.

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