Day 4 – Friday 29 June

The body’s been a little bit hurty, but not to the point where I’ve had to take painkillers.

Breakfast

Banana

Mangú (Mashed Plantains)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Milk

Lima Beans w. Pigeon Peas and Carrots

I am craving meat. I must remedy this shortly. Perhaps a nice steak would do. I almost bought canned salmon on Tuesday, but it was too expensive. Fish or meat would do nicely now. I chose the salmon because of the Omega-3s. I crave that the same way I craved cassava and yams on a low-level for the past few months. I must remedy this soon as well.

Snack

Sesame Crunch

Dinner

Lima Beans w. Pigeon Peas and Carrots

Mangú (Mashed Plantains)

Yams

Salmon in Coconut Cream Sauce

Strawberry Coconut Smoothie

Later Dinner

Strawberry Coconut Smoothie

Banana

Day 3 – Thursday 28 June

Feeling good. A few slight muscle sorenesses from having to keep up with Danielle when she’s walking. Sheesh. Talk about speedy!

Breakfast

Red Velvet (-__-‘)

Scrambled Eggs

Lunch

Plantains in Coconut Milk

Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Milk

Boiled Yams

Lima Beans w. Pigeon Peas and Carrots

Snacks

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (vegan!)

Sesame Seed Crunch

More Red Velvet (^_^)

Herr’s Popcorn

Dinner

Banana

Labouillie (Plantains and Corn Flour)

Day 2 – Wednesday 27 June

Had to take ½ Codeine this morning and another half when I was done cooking. It seemed that the heat (of cooking) didn’t agree with my bones. I felt a bit weak in my bones after cooking but rest and Codeine helped.

Breakfast

Banana and Scrambled Eggs

Red Velvet (O.o)

Lunch

Beef Pork Rolls (-_-)

Dinner

Plantains in Coconut Milk

Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Milk

Boiled Yams

Lima Beans w. Pigeon Peas and Carrots

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Day 1 – Tuesday 26 JUNE

My body’s been hurty the past few days.

3 Meals:

(I believe there was a banana or two somewhere in here as well)

Breakfast and Lunch

Boiled Plantains and Steamed Carrots

Sesame Seed Crunch

Dinner

Scrambled Eggs

Thiocyanate Rich Foods

Foods rich in Potassium Thiocyanate/Dioscovite

Staples:

African yams (White Yams)

Cassava

Grains:

Buckwheat

Flaxseed

Millet

Spelt Flour

Fruits:

Apricot
Bananas

Cherry

Peaches

Plums

Raspberry
Strawberry

Nuts:
Almonds

Cashews

Peanuts

Beans/Peas:

Black Eyed Peas

Lima Beans

Butter Beans

Chickpeas

Garbanzo Beans

Lentils

Veggies:

Alfalfa sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrot

Cauliflower

Collard Greens

Greens

Horseradish
Mustard greens

Plantain

Rutabaga
Turnips

Foods and herbs high in natural iron include:

Green leafy vegetables such as greens and Green Leaf Lettuce (not ice berg),

Yellow vegetables such as Squash,

Whole grain products made from grains such as Spelt, Barley, Millet, Sorghum, Kamut, and Oats,

Legumes,

Lentils,

Kidney beans,

Dandelion,

Burdock,

Yellow dock root,

Strawberry fruit,

Kelp,

Cayenne and

Dulse.

Good sources of chlorophyll are any of the green leafy vegetables such as greens and other vegetables such as bell pepper.

A Decision to Change

For a while now I’ve been feeling like my diet is severely inadequate and that it could be a lot better. I decided I should eat more vegetables. And then I decided to look into what foods are good for Sickle Cell Anemia. I began conducting some research, beginning with Livestrong.com, where I read that I should be eating protein filled foods to help with the production of my red blood cells. Further research lead me to[1] recipenet.org, where I read a testimonial about a woman who fed her son foods rich in Thiocyanate, which helps the red blood cells not to sickle. Apparently, and according to this website and a few others[2], sickle cell anemia was not present in Africa when the diet mainly consisted of Cassava and Yams.

         After gathering information and a list of what foods I should be eating, I didn’t waste a minute. I immediately went to my fridge and took out carrots and plantains, and I have decided to stick with this diet and see how well it does me. I’ve decided to say no to weakness and yes to strength. That is what I claim for myself, and this is my journey to physical wellness.

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[1] http://www.recipenet.org/health/articles/sickle_cell.htm

[2] http://www.sicklecellsupportgroup.org/Dioscovite.html, http://voices.yahoo.com/thiocyanate-all-natural-cure-sickle-cell-anemia-7117652.html?cat=5, http://doghappiness.net/Sickle-Cell-Anemia.php