Did Nothing, Lost 5 Pounds. WHAT?!

Yesterday was my rest day, and well, apparently I did something right because over the course of one day I went down 5 pounds. Now to figure out what I did. Let’s see… I slept in a little, took a couple Skinny Fiber pills, got on my computer with a mug of coffee, finished my blog post by 12, then fixed my one meal of yesterday that was huge. I hate the sweet potato nachos with ground beef, onions, a whole avocado made into guacamole (so just added white vinegar and sea salt), two fried eggs, and half a sweet pepper. I ate 2/3 of it around 1, then the other 1/3 around 6. Drank another cup of coffee (was fixing my Keurig and needed to brew something), watched a couple documentaries, ate some dark chocolate, browsed pinterest, and bleached my hair. That was my day. So maybe getting the majority of my calories and carbs in the early afternoon? Hm… Worth a shot! Especially for such a dramatic drop when everything else was making me creep up little by little and I was pulling my hair out figuring why.

Well, yes?

Speaking of the documentaries I watched yesterday, I’m going to be honest. I love documentaries on Bronies, and after watching one a year ago or so, I started watching the show. I totally see why this is such a thing (I am completely a mix of Rarity and Pinky Pie), but in this one they featured a strong, health conscious Brony who goes by JaxBlade, and I got really excited because I haven’t really talked about it, but I am a born and bred nerd. Like I grew up learning how to play RPG games (Dungeons and Dragons, 1st edition to be precise among others), my first computer game was Wolfenstein 3D around ’93, and I started learning to code when I was ten. I also grew up with Doctor Who, Monty Python, and Pokemon from day 1. So when I learn of a fellow fanatic nerd who is known for being strong and healthy, well, he’s totally going in my blog.

WATCH IT SPIDEY! Don’t make me get the spray…

Unfortunately, his YouTube channel is not at all what I thought it was going to be. I was hoping for a line of workout videos themed around My Little Pony, or even just references thrown in while he was doing it. But alas, all it is is reaction videos and the like. While I don’t have a nerd workout for you today (but I will keep looking!), I did find this video called “Housewife Fails” and it hits a little close to home for me. I’m not as bad as this, but the workout portion is definitely me. I try! But really, who wants to do that in their home? Not me. I will work my ass off (literally) in a class with other people, but at home, yeah, no, hand me my phone.

So, I realized that I blog way better when I take the weekend off, so looks like from here on M-F will be new blog posts, somewhere around noon depending how long it takes me to find things to add (also know as getting lost on Pinterest). That and we are usually out of town on weekends, so it’s not the easiest thing to make a new post. So off to the STL this weekend for my sister’s birthday. Hope you all had a great, healthy week, and just a reminder to make good choices this weekend 😉 I’ll be right there with you… in spirit. In person would be creepy.

And On the Seventh Day…Or Thursday

Today begins my rest day. I slept in this morning, grabbed a warm cup of coffee, and slathered my hair in a coconut oil mask. Today is all about relaxing and eating well. I started taking Skinny Fiber to keep from snacking all day and it really helped yesterday! I found another bottle in my trunk (Pretty sure I could find the portal to Narnia in my trunk if I looked hard enough), so that should last me a while! If you haven’t heard of Skinny Fiber, it’s fiber pills, but they promise to be  “…an all natural weight loss supplement that safely and naturally helps you lose weight and balance your system. No caffeine or stimulants, no side effects!” (from their facebook page). I have never taken it consistently enough to see the results they promise, but I do use it when I know I’m not going to be able to eat for a while and it really helps keep me from going crazy once I get to food. Obviously, I did not do this the other night with Mexican… I really should have though. 

nonono! Take the fiber!

So today I find out if I actually get to order that Clean, Burn, and Shape system this weekend or not. I really don’t want to put it on my credit card, but if I have to I will. Unfortunately, my husband didn’t realize his tags were expiring Saturday so now it’s going to cost a lot of money (maybe) to get it licensed here (new state… sigh). I’m so sick of taxes on everything. Why can’t the taxes they take out of your paycheck be enough? Or leave the paycheck alone and keep the taxes on everything else? It just doesn’t make sense to me that we pay tax on literally everything. yet the government is still in crazy amounts of debt. I promise, I’ll stop here, because I like talking about politics about as much as you like reading about them (unless you actually do, then I’m sorry, it just gets my blood pressure up). But the point is we may not be able to pay for the new system without me using credit which I’m doing everything I can to pay off. BUT if this really does work, and can get me to a healthier state in life, I can take the extra payments. Until then, I feel like I need this shirt.

You can get it here: http://thuglifeshirts.com/collections/frontpage/products/today-is-my-hot-mess-day?pp=1

That being said, you know I am trying to get to a better state in life, and you probably are too, but sometimes we get so caught up in what we’re doing that we forget other people are struggling too. Sometimes you feel like you’re the only one who isn’t happy with their body, and need to play ‘keeping up with the Jones’ with your body. But the thing is, sadly, most everyone has things their extremely self conscious about. Buzzfeed did an article called “The Different Pressures People Feel Regarding Body Image”. My favorite is the last one, where she wrote, “People are more interested in me being skinnier than being happier.” You can read the article (really just look at a few pictures. Don’t know if that’s considered an article or not) here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mrloganrhoades/the-different-pressures-people-feel-regarding-body-image?bffb&utm_term=4ldqpgp#.iqVNd722NK

So remember, everyone is dealing with something. That’s why I find it extremely hard to be mean to anyone, even when they’re being mean to me. You have no idea what they’re going through, or who tore them down today, leading them to the conflict you’re finding yourself in with them. Like this little one

I am Going to Try Being Nice…Tomorrow

Sorry about the super late post today. I haven’t been feeling the greatest and have wanted to crawl back in bed since I got up this morning, but oh well… I’ll try to sleep in tomorrow. So I found out yesterday that I’m actually a popcorn ceiling removing prodigy! It was actually kind of fun, and I told my friend I’d be back next week to help with the next room. Honestly, my arms didn’t hurt like everyone said they would. The only thing that was really bad last night was my hand and forearm from repetitious use of the spray bottle (you have to soak the ceiling before scraping it off). Well, that and my shins from the step ladder. I now have matching, circular bruises on the front of my shins from leaning against the step for a couple hours. Good thing it’s still cold here and no reason to wear shorts at the moment!

But so much for low carb yesterday. I started out awesome with a chia packet and a quest bar, had some peach green tea, and popped a couple fiber pills to keep me from getting hungry until I got home again. Well, once I got home and showered I was famished and turns out we had no food in the house. Like, I could have found something, but not for both of us… So famished, tired, and not wanting to do anything we went out for dinner… at a Mexican restaurant. Woe to the person who things they can go low carb here. Oh no sir! I mean, I knew there were going to be few choices, but there was nothing, at least that I could find, but again tired + hungry does not get me even close to caring that much. So it was basically turned into

Well, until I started eating. Then I was like “… what have I done?!” Hunger is a cruel mistress.

So basically I’m just counting down the days until we order that clean, burn, shape system, and praying it works. I’m tired of feeling like nothing works for me, and getting to the point of not caring and eating whatever then caring once I’m not hungry anymore. But also not being able to lose weight unless I leave myself time to be hungry. Oh body… you just hate everything don’t you? Sometimes I think my body is just like this print:

Which you can find here: http://society6.com/product/i-just-want-to-drink-coffee-create-stuff-and-sleep-rkw_print#1=45

So that’s where I am today. My body is fighting me pretty hard, and only wants to drink coffee, create stuff, and sleep. So maybe that’s what I’ll let it do tomorrow. If I’m nice to it, maybe it’ll be nice to me? Here’s hoping.

Just a Couple Stories Today

I made an effort to get my carbs down yesterday, and I did, but just not as much as I would like. The problem was that I had made some food on my moderate intake week or two that I didn’t want to waste. It was just a batch of chili and some rice crackers, but wasting food is not okay. So I finished that off along with the last couple bites of greek yoghurt I had in the fridge, and kept the rest of my day low. But whatever extra I ate yesterday is getting worked off today… I volunteered to help a friend here redo her new house. Today’s mission: Popcorn ceilings. Everyone keeps telling me how horrible it is, but I guess I can give a fresh perspective tomorrow? I volunteered for this job because the stupid guy who did my parents’ house back in the 70/80s popcorned EVERYTHING. I’m talking not just ceilings, but walls too. Imagine being a little girl constantly scratching your delicate skin on everything. It’s horrible.

Calm down kitty, not that kind of popcorn

So assuming it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever done, I plan to take my new skills to my parents house some week, also assuming that my unemployment streak continues to stand. I applied to a few more places, and would love to work at any of them, but I know I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be. Until then, though, this blog is kind of my job. My unpaid, yet fun job.

Not a whole lot to report on on the diet front here though, but found out I did get half a table at that convention, as well as space in the art auction, so I need to get cracking on working on stuff. The last art auction i was in was terrible, though, and my piece actually got destroyed as part of it, which wasn’t all that bad. I knew the risks going in. What was terrible about that event, however, was the people. When my piece got destroyed, the girl behind me announced “Good. I hated that piece”, and continued to critique it. I swear I almost slapped her. And the picture that brought in the most money was a stencil of a chicken with words around it. I realized that that was not my audience…

Well, hopefully I’ll be able to use my arms tomorrow after the rehab today… If not, you’ll know by the lack of post, but I’ll fight through for you! It just may be short and sweet. Until then, keep listening to your body! We’re in this together.

Keeping it Healthy: Carb Cutting

We had some friends over last night for a game night and it was awesome, but there’s one thing I semi regret. Not the half dozen cookies I ate (I stated the low carb started today, so why not? Aside from the fact that my leg was broken out this morning and I had a bit of acid reflux last night…), no… I MISSED THE WALKING DEAD! Sigh… But it’s on next sunday before the new episode, so no spoilers, guys. I mean it. Aside from that, though, it was an awesome night. I actually won every game, which I felt a little bad about, but what are you going to do?

Just kidding!

But even with the cookie binge my weight is exactly the same (insert frustrated noise here), though we’re working on it! And I realized I forgot to talk about something very important after a question popped up yesterday. When cutting carbs drastically as a life style change, you have to find a replacement. Most people say swap the bad carbs for the “good” ones, but their “good” ones usually still include whole grains and artificial sweeteners. Here’s the problem with that. You know my rant on artificial sweeteners (which are in everything from diet sodas and pretty much every water sweetener to random things with the label “low carb” on them (and I’m very very wary of the new sucralose they’re adding to basically everything)), so we’ll focus on the whole grains here.

You see, gnet.org puts it well when they wrote:

…whole grain bread does not actually have whole grains in it. Flour is formed in a process where grains are broken down into a powder form like flour.  Since it is in a powder form, the body can rapidly digest the bread and let it enter the bloodstream as glucose. This raises the fat-producing hormone known as insulin. Whole grain bread even has a higher G.I (Glycemic Index) score than most candy bars such as snickers…

(More at http://www.gnet.org/5-deadly-reasons-why-you-should-not-eat-bread/)

And as I talked about yesterday, women with PCOS have insulin resistance problems. So if you’re opting for a less restrictive carb cutting option (sticking around 50-150g), sticking with fruits, veggies, and legumes is probably going to be your best option (just beware of soy for PCOS since your hormones are probably already out of whack (soy is a natural estrogen generating plant)). They’re nutritious, filling, and natural, and just what the body wants! Plus, at least in my case, it doesn’t make my stomach hurt like the whole grains do.

Nonononono. Stick to it! You can do this!

Now for the replacements. Most experts agree that just straight cutting carbs completely may lead to weight loss at first, but that could really just be water weight, and if you end up throwing in the towel (because let’s be honest, a super restrictive diet is no fun for anyone) and go back to the complex carbs we crave so much, it can all come crashing back on you. This is why I keep referencing the Ketosis diet. Your body needs fuel to work, just like a car. When your body stops receiving carbs to burn, it switches to burning the fat you’re eating, then the fat in your body’s reserves. That’s called “ketosis”.

There have been many women with PCOS do AMAZING on this diet, but if you find something else, please feel free to let me know. I am not a huge fan of eating meat, which is very very low carb and filling, so most Keto-ers gravitate towards that (but not too much, because excess protein breaks down into sugar in the body which translates to carbs. Fun, right?). It is possible to do vegan or vegetarian Keto, it’s just difficult, and I really love salmon, so….

But remember, you are a beautiful, fantastic human who can do anything you set your mind to. We are on this journey to be healthy, and getting thinner/toned is just a side effect. It’s what’s on the inside (and I’m talking physically inside, like intestinal health this time) that matters the most (but please, be kind as well. Being a bitch doesn’t really help anyone. So let’s shoot for healthy insides, and no bitches. Sound good?). And last reminder, you are everything to Ryan Gosling

I Don’t Know About You, but I’m Feeling 22… Carbs a Day Should Be Sufficient

Avocados still weren’t ripe yesterday, so the waiting game continues. But I was so set on having those nachos I ended up just eating 1/3 of the bag with an agave soda. And it was as I was munching on those that I started to wonder… If juicing which was high in sugar and carbs (natural) with no fat worked for me, and keto which is high in fat and extremely low in carbs worked for me (until I started eating cheese), why does my current moderate fat, moderate natural carb diet keep me at the same weight? And how is it related to the PCOS (because honestly, anyone normal eating the way I do would be losing at a dramatic rate). So I went to the internet.

And wouldn’t you know it… Though the things I’m eating currently don’t directly set off my food intolerance/allergy symptoms, they are creating issues for the insulin resistance that comes with PCOS. You see, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism in 2005, they found that women with PCOS who ate fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day had significant decreases in insulin, testosterone and body weight. When I was starting Keto (and not eating much cheese), I was having no more than 25g of carbs a day, and I was seeing results. Then I got bored and lazy and started eating things that conflicted with the PCOS, which I didn’t know at the time. So, starting tomorrow, I am counting carbs again. While counting calories was helping me stay in a healthy eating range, it was messing with me mentally and I don’t like getting in a mindset where I feel bad eating. Eating is a necessity for survival and since I am extremely conscious of what’s going in my body anyway (totaling very little processed things, fruits, veggies, grass fed butter and cream, eggs, meat, and natural sweeteners) I was worried that my mentality was becoming one of obsession, and that’s not okay.

This is why I haven’t talked about calorie counting in a few posts. While it was helpful to see where I was hitting on a normal day, it’s not an extreme problem for me, especially now that I know I need to be eating a bit more. But what is a problem is carb count. I’ve found quite a few articles to back up this theory, including one from the website OvercomePCOS.com. They write, “For those with PCOS, insulin regulation is key. This can be brought about by medication, but often the best defense is a good offense, and that can mean eliminating carbs from the diet. Not only will this regulate insulin, but it can aid in weight loss, and help to balance hormones, two of the other common side effects of PCOS.” (More at: http://www.overcomepcos.com/home/pcos-and-carbs-whats-the-connection)

Carbs… Not even once.

As you know, I do not personally advocate medicine as a first option, having watched my dad spend mass amounts of money on medication when all he really needed to do was stop eating shit and exercise a little for most of his ailments, and in most cases (nutritionists agree) this is really the answer. As Joe Cross says in his documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (which I’ve mentioned before), he realized that when he was a kid and he scraped himself up, as long as he stayed out of the way and didn’t pick at it, his body would heal itself. So why is the inside of our bodies any different? I believe that’s true. Our bodies are really amazing things that, when treated properly, can do anything. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m finding what it is my body needs to heal and doing it. Yes, it’s taking time, but in the end, if I can figure it out, it will be all worth the journey.

Plans to be Bad, Followed by Plans to be Extra Good

Good morning and happy Saturday! Hope you have some fun and/or relaxing plans, and are in better weather than we are. Freezing rain last night. Ew. But we’ll survive! So yesterday (over a 24 hour period from the night before) I realized I ate both a pound of asparagus and a pound of bacon (roughly). I tell you, bacon wrapped asparagus bundles are delicious, addicting, and an easy meal. But it’s all gone now, so my body can relax… Though asparagus is high in both Vitamin K, as well as antioxidants, folate, and low in calories, so really, I don’t feel that bad about it.

I’m finally going to try that sweet potato nacho dish I talked about the other day. I browned up the beef yesterday when I made chili, and caramelized some onions, now I just have to make some fresh guacamole and dice the tomatoes, and I should be good to go! Unfortunately, I already snacked through one bag of the sweet potato chips, so I have been keeping myself from opening this bag until I was ready to make the nachos, and I think the avocados are finally ripe. Unless they’ve gone bad, because they tend to do that. 

Sadly, my hubby has been sick the past few days, so the game day we were invited to may not work out. Which is unfortunate because the couple who invited us we’ve only met once, we had to cancel on them the last time, and they invited us to this literally two months ago. So we’ll probably push through and go for at least one game, though if you aren’t a board gamer you may not realize that that could translate into 3-4 hours depending on the game. But he’s a champ, and almost never gets sick, so I think he’s trying to fight this cold by pretending it doesn’t exist, then surprise attacking it with DayQuil like a ninja. My tired, stuffed up, coughing, ninja husband.

In case you were wondering about the cleansing system, I will be ordering it next week, but won’t be starting until Monday, March 16, which may be when it comes in anyway. I’m unsure how fast the company ships, but the weekend of the 14th is a little sacred to my group of friends. It’s the one weekend a year our group of friends from high school all get together (now with significant others attending as well) to have a big weekend long party and catch up. It’s because of this reunion that my husband and I met two years ago, and last year, on that weekend, he proposed. So it’s very special. But the reason I won’t be starting until after is because each year we hold it in a college town, and there’s many games played that require a certain kind of beverage that happens to be high in calories and such.

Pie flavored whisky (also, I was going to link you to this Etsy store but it’s closed)

So there’s no way I’m starting this crazy expensive cleanse then taking a weekend off right at the start of it. I realize I’m probably going to make week 1 extra difficult on myself, but it’s one weekend a year we actually go a little crazy. That, and me and the guys have a big magic the gathering tournament which is awesome.

Aside from that, yesterday I had a couple bites of leftover cake that I made for someone and got a really bad stomach ache, nausea, and visible bloating to that went promptly into the trash. Then there was a bowl of chili (made with sweet peppers and beef), a zevia, hand full of grapes, half a cup of coffee, and of course the asparagus. Also a couple pieces of chocolate at the book study I went to last night, but I did manage to say no to the wine, as well as the plethora of unfriendly snacks (including the hazelnut coffee station with RumChata, Bailies, and something else I didn’t see because I was avoiding it). Have a lovely day, and make good choices!

Something New on the Horizon

Spending my morning looking up “how to” crafts for two things I found out about yesterday. One is that I’m helping throw my sister in law’s bridal shower (which I love helping with, I just didn’t realize it until I got the invitation. My bad…), and I may have a table at a small convention back in St Louis to sell some of my art! So… since it’s crazy hard to find room to paint canvases in this apartment, I’ve decided to do nice framed or matted paper crafts, and maybe some watercolor paintings or such. Super excited to make things for both! Oh, and I’m not even a third of the way through the book I needed to have finished for tonight, so there’s that too… Sims 4 took up my day yesterday.

That’s my favorite part

Other than that, I heard back from my doctor. She said I’m doing everything right, but she doesn’t believe in the snacking theory, so she says I need to have 3 set meals/snacks (which I need to clarify if that’s 3 meals and 3 snacks or 3 meals and/or snacks) between 7am and 7pm. I know eating late, no matter what you’re eating, can cause weight gain because of hormone fluctuations at night, but 7 seems early to me. Like, my husband doesn’t get home til 6-6:30 some nights and doesn’t want to eat right away, so normally I’m done at the latest around 8-8:30, but maybe that’s the problem? Well, it won’t hurt to give it a shot for a week or so.

The only other thing she said was to do the “Clean, burn, and shape” system, which she’s been trying to get me to do for a couple years now, but it’s crazy expensive. It’s a 40 day cleanse, so you’ve got everything you need for 40 days (minus some fruits and veggies that make up the rest of your meals). Basically, you go Vegan for 40 days which kills all your bad eating habits, while taking supplements to revitalize and cleanse your body. The reviews I can find on it are all positive, but due to the price, it’s not that reviewed. Thankfully (and I am so honest to God, beyond words thankful for this), my parents have watched me struggle with this weight issue my whole life and have offered to pay for half of it for me, while my husband is on board to cover the other half. I feel so blessed to have these amazing people in my life, who want to see me succeed at this.

https://vimeo.com/81834792

But it not just me who’s going to go through this. No! Because of this blog, you’ll be experiencing the 40 days with me. Aren’t you excited?! I may even start posting videos! But because this is coming out of my family’s pocket, and not being sponsored (but honestly, even if it was, I would still be truthful), I am going to give every detail about what’s going on. The taste, how I feel, and tracking inches and pounds. What I know, you’ll know. So if by the end, if it’s worth trying, you will know.

So yesterday’s log was a few chocolates, my green tea, a zevia, some monster grapes, an organic fruit juice puree, two eggs, and a lot of bacon wrapped asparagus. Not kidding, pretty sure I are half the bag of asparagus. I made flounder too, but oh dear lord it was bad. Like, have you ever been fishing? If so, then you know the smell that comes off the lake. It was that smell, but in my mouth. I took two bites and that’s all I could do. So like 7 pieces of bacon (not thick cut, just the wimpy thin little strips), and probably a pound of asparagus. Not my best day in terms of food, but at least it wasn’t pasta!

Rub it in, Loki… I’m so jealous.

Recap, Rant, and Reconsidering

Something I learned yesterday… a vegetable spiralizer is probably the coolest thing I have in my kitchen. I have been wanting one for years, but never got to get one, then we got it for the wedding. I was really excited, but had no immediate use for it, nor did I know how to use it really. But I figured that our yesterday with my jicama and it was awesome! Never again will I julienne onions for burgers! Nope, they’re going in the spiralizer. So easy and cool. Anyway, that aside, the jicama hash for dinner was delicious! (Recipe here: http://sweetcsdesigns.com/paleo-fajita-jicama-hash/) I also picked up and tried that new cashew milk. It’s pretty good as well. It kind of tastes like the milk at the bottom of the cereal bowl. It’s no replacement for actual milk, but since I can’t drink that anymore, I take what I can get.

So today (aside from playing Sims 4 and trying to finish a book I have to finish for a book study that’s tomorrow night…), I have decided to contact my doctor to see what she thinks about this lack of weight loss. While I’m used to the plateau that comes with losing weight, I’m not used to this long of one, and it just doesn’t seem right. I kind of feel like I need to hide away for a month and not go anywhere to make sure I absolutely stick to eating well. While I do, as you know, I have the little indulgences here and there. An angry orchard once a week, some chocolate here and there, and really, other than that, I stick to my plan completely. So what is it going to take to lose the weight? I really don’t want to go back to a pure juicing diet, but that has honestly been the only thing that has ever shown result that stayed off. I just get moody when I don’t have food-food.

It’s so frustrating!

Well, it’s looking like a very short post this morning. I just emailed my doctor, so hopefully I hear back soon. Hope you all have a wonderful day! As always, let me know if there’s anything you want to see on here in future posts. Until then, my scale will probably continue to be like:

Let’s Talk About Food, Baby, Let’s Talk About Fruit and Meat

Ok, so maybe not just “fruit and meat” per sey, but it’s the closest I could get to the lyrics. But getting back to the journaling, I have been really good! It’s getting so much easier to not cheat, and I have started getting creative with meals (which is probably why it’s getting easier). I’m realizing it’s so much easier to plan around what I can have, as opposed to what I can’t, because when I start thinking of all the things I can’t have, it gets overwhelming and frustrating. Thankfully, the things I can have mostly line up with the Paleo diet, so I am able to look up recipes in with that criteria. I am still unable to have chicken or coconut, though those things are usually easily replaced (except coconut flour. I have to get reallllly creative when things call for that…).

The other night for dinner I made stuffed zucchini for the hubs and myself, and took the scooped out innards and made zucchini brownies with greek yogurt. They were a little more moist than I would have liked, but there’s always next time! Here’s a picture of how dinner turned out, and to answer your question, yes, it was AMAZING.

Cheese for him, tomatoes for me and one without either for options.

Also, it looks like I may be able to get away with eating feta cheese, but not completely sure, so I’ll let you know. If you want to make these puppies yourself, the recipe can be found here: http://www.jocooks.com/main-courses/pork-main-courses/stuffed-zucchini/ And FYI, they’re even better with sriracha, but honestly, what isn’t?

I feel the same, Mr Oatmeal. I feel the same. (The rest of this love story can be found here:http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha)

Tonight I’m trying a jicama hash. If you haven’t heard of jicama, no worries. It’s not extremely well known, but you should get to know it. It’s a low calorie root veggie that tastes like a cross between a potato and an apple. When we first found them, my dad would slice them up into thin rectangles, and fry them in butter (my family’s first instinct is to fry things in butter, and honestly it’s never a wrong process. Everything is good with butter). They’re an awesome substitute for fries, and have a bit of sweetness while being crisp, unlike sweet potatoes. Here’s a little more of a rundown on them from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/jicama.html

Health benefits of Jicama

• Jicama is one of the very low calorie root vegetables; carrying only 35 calories per 100 g. However, its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.

• It is one of the finest sources of dietary fiber; particularly excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. The root pulp provides 4.9 mg or 13% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie sweet inert carbohydrate. It does not metabolize inside the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.

• As in turnips, fresh yam bean tubers are also rich in vitamin C; provide about 20.2 mg or 34% of DRA of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, thereby offers protection from cancers, inflammation and viral cough and cold.

• It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.

• Further, the root provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

So basically fries you can feel good about! And don’t worry, the things I talk about on here are not that hard to find. Yacon syrup can be, but it’s available on amazon, and jicama is at pretty much any health food store, or health centered grocery stores (I live in Kansas, guys. If I can find it, it shouldn’t be too hard for you). Now… Off to get some food!