I'll have extra salt but hold the carbs for fibro relief; plus chocolate-covered strawberry bars

Misha takes on couch potato pose with remote.

I was beginning to think hot summer temperatures (90s to 100+) were going to prove my match when it came to my fibro symptoms. My stomach was upset; my pain was worse; I was more tired than usual. I was chronically dehydrated because I spend a lot of time outdoors. Then, I remembered I need more salt.

In his book, From Fatigued to Fantastic, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum advises fibro sufferers to increase their intake of salt and water. He says to aim for 8-15 grams of salt and a gallon of water per day.

 I looked at my sea salt container to see how much salt that would be. One-fourth teaspoon of sea salt is 1.5 grams. Two teaspoons of salt would be 12 grams. Three teaspoons would be 16 grams.

That seemed like a lot of salt but Teitelbaum writes in his book about another physician, Dr. David Bell,  who specializes in pediatric CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) patients. Bell found 19 out of 25 patients did better when they received a quart of intravenous salt solution (saline) each day.

I'll pass on the intravenous salt solution because it's so much easier to simply increase your salt intake. As summer temperatures have soared, I have been adding salt to my water bottle, my meals, my snacks, everything. At first, I thought "is this really a good idea?" Everywhere we read that people consume too much sodium. But the proof is in the pudding, so they say. I feel much better.

All you need is a friend to hang out with on a hot summer day.

My formula is "I'll have extra salt but hold the carbs, please." Sodium (salt) is essential for a healthy diet as it is one of the electrolytes. If you are eating a whole foods diet (free of junk food loaded with sugar and salt), you don't need to worry. Salt is liberally added to processed foods which adds up quickly along with a bunch of other ingredients you probably should avoid. Individuals with fibro often do better by following a low carb, higher protein diet. I follow a low carb, low fermentation diet.

I have read forums where people comment that salt sets off their fibro pain. What sets off pain varies from person to person. It's also important to look at your overall diet because high carb foods that feed bad bacteria in the gut may be the culprit.

Chocolate-covered strawberry bars

All this hot weather has made me crazy for frozen dessert bars. I made these Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Bars which, of course, are low carb and low fermentation.

Here's what you need for four bars:

1 cup strawberries (frozen or fresh)
1 T. yogurt of your choice or milk beverage of choice
1/4 cup coconut oil
stevia, to taste
pinch of sea salt

Here's what you need for the chocolate coating:

2 T. cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/8 tsp. vanilla powder
dash of cinnamon
stevia, to taste
dash of salt

Here's what you do:

Mix the strawberry bar ingredients in your Vitamix or other blender. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Place the pan in the freezer until the bars are frozen.

Once your strawberry mixture is frozen, cut bars or bite-sized pieces. Then, mix up the chocolate coating by melting the coconut oil first. Stir in the other ingredients until blended.

Dip your bars or bite-sized pieces into the chocolate coating. Rotate the pieces around to get complete chocolate coverage. Allow the bars to rest for a minute. Then, dip again to get a thicker chocolate coating. Return the bars to the freezer until ready to eat.

Article/recipe contributed to:
 http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2015/06/allergy-free-wednesday-174.html
 
http://www.fibrobloggerdirectory.com/