Cooking With Nick
Introduction
I grew up in Upstate NY living a relatively normal life. I ate what I wanted, went to the gym, played basketball and led an active lifestyle. After high school I attended college for welding. Like most college students I enjoyed the occasional beer and lived on fast food and microwave dinners. My senior year, just before graduation, I began to experience chronic fatigue along with swelling in my joints, lips and feet. As determined as I was to work, one of my teachers had to send me home because my fingers were so swollen I couldn’t even hold the welding torch. The doctors gave me a barrage of tests before determining that I had stage-two kidney nephritis and was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This forced me to take a medical leave from college. I thought some medicine and a bit of bed rest would have me on my feet again in no time, but my symptoms got worse along with unexplainable leg pain, causing me to be on crutches.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, which tricks the immune system into attacking itself. In addition to causing arthritis and fatigue, it can also lead to various organ and nervous system failure. Complications range from mild to severe and can even be fatal. Although doctors are unsure exactly what causes Lupus, it is not contagious and is thought to be triggered by genetic and/or environmental factors.
Shortly after leaving school the pain in my legs became unbearable and I was hospitalized on numerous occasions, only to be sent home with medication and no explanation for the pain. Finally it was determined I had potentially fatal blood clots in both of my legs. It wasn’t until spending my 21st birthday in the hospital, hooked up to a blood thinner I-V that I truly began to see the severity of my situation.
To combat the clots I was prescribed warafin. Warafin works against vitamin K, which is in most vegetables. During this time I could not eat salads. I was also taking steroids to combat my inflammation giving me a tremendous appetite. This led to an incredibly poor diet consisting of: fast food, pizza, lots of meat (midnight trips to the fridge for baby back ribs was not uncommon), soda and ice cream. This contributed to a 70 lb. weight gain. Several clots later I learned that I had a resistance to the medication and must now take an injectable anticoagulant twice a day – indefinitely.
The injectable anticoagulant gave me the opportunity to eat better again. It was just in time too, because I had reached an all time high of 230 lbs., compared to my usual 160 lbs. In an effort to reverse the effects of poor diet and to reduce the effects of my lupus flare up I slowly transitioned to an all vegan diet.
After my eating habits changed, along with regular excersise, I began to feel much better. I even went back to work fulltime. Just as I was getting accostumed to my new lifestyle, losing weight and generally feeling better, pain once again crept into my left leg. It was determined that steroid-induced avascular necrosis (AVN) had led to the collapse of my left hip and it would need to be replaced or I’d eventually become permanently disabled.
In preparation for surgery I got as healthy as I could, paying even closer attention to my diet than ever before. I lost an additional 25 lbs. reaching my target weight of 165 lbs. During this time I tried new medications, which ultimately led to even more blood clots as well as developing additional health complications. My surgery would need to be postponed, but I knew it was something I ultimately had to do.
The hip surgery was the hardest thing I’ve faced yet. Not only was it incredibly painful but I had to lay on my back in bed for six weeks. I never could have managed without the help, love and support of my family during this time. I was unable to perform even every day tasks like putting on my socks. My mother moved in to help me cook, clean, shop and recover. I don’t know how I could have done it without her.
These days my Lupus is in remission and my hip is healing well; I can even get around without the use of my wheel chair, crutches or cane. I continue eating as healthy as possible and I’ve recently been able to re-introduce fish to my diet. I maintain a strict vegetarian meal plan; making sure to only eat fresh organic produce, drink spring water and fresh squeezed juice. It can be very difficult sometimes to eat this way; It makes going out to eat complicated and I usually have to bring my own food to friends’ houses.
Through hard work and dedication I’ve been able to keep my Lupus in remission. I feel this is in no small part due to the changes I’ve made in my eating habits. This book is not designed to be a diet plan or weight loss solution. I just wanted to share some of these healthy recipes that got me through some very tough times.
I hope you enjoy them!
-Nick
I grew up in Upstate NY living a relatively normal life. I ate what I wanted, went to the gym, played basketball and led an active lifestyle. After high school I attended college for welding. Like most college students I enjoyed the occasional beer and lived on fast food and microwave dinners. My senior year, just before graduation, I began to experience chronic fatigue along with swelling in my joints, lips and feet. As determined as I was to work, one of my teachers had to send me home because my fingers were so swollen I couldn’t even hold the welding torch. The doctors gave me a barrage of tests before determining that I had stage-two kidney nephritis and was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This forced me to take a medical leave from college. I thought some medicine and a bit of bed rest would have me on my feet again in no time, but my symptoms got worse along with unexplainable leg pain, causing me to be on crutches.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, which tricks the immune system into attacking itself. In addition to causing arthritis and fatigue, it can also lead to various organ and nervous system failure. Complications range from mild to severe and can even be fatal. Although doctors are unsure exactly what causes Lupus, it is not contagious and is thought to be triggered by genetic and/or environmental factors.
Shortly after leaving school the pain in my legs became unbearable and I was hospitalized on numerous occasions, only to be sent home with medication and no explanation for the pain. Finally it was determined I had potentially fatal blood clots in both of my legs. It wasn’t until spending my 21st birthday in the hospital, hooked up to a blood thinner I-V that I truly began to see the severity of my situation.
To combat the clots I was prescribed warafin. Warafin works against vitamin K, which is in most vegetables. During this time I could not eat salads. I was also taking steroids to combat my inflammation giving me a tremendous appetite. This led to an incredibly poor diet consisting of: fast food, pizza, lots of meat (midnight trips to the fridge for baby back ribs was not uncommon), soda and ice cream. This contributed to a 70 lb. weight gain. Several clots later I learned that I had a resistance to the medication and must now take an injectable anticoagulant twice a day – indefinitely.
The injectable anticoagulant gave me the opportunity to eat better again. It was just in time too, because I had reached an all time high of 230 lbs., compared to my usual 160 lbs. In an effort to reverse the effects of poor diet and to reduce the effects of my lupus flare up I slowly transitioned to an all vegan diet.
After my eating habits changed, along with regular excersise, I began to feel much better. I even went back to work fulltime. Just as I was getting accostumed to my new lifestyle, losing weight and generally feeling better, pain once again crept into my left leg. It was determined that steroid-induced avascular necrosis (AVN) had led to the collapse of my left hip and it would need to be replaced or I’d eventually become permanently disabled.
In preparation for surgery I got as healthy as I could, paying even closer attention to my diet than ever before. I lost an additional 25 lbs. reaching my target weight of 165 lbs. During this time I tried new medications, which ultimately led to even more blood clots as well as developing additional health complications. My surgery would need to be postponed, but I knew it was something I ultimately had to do.
The hip surgery was the hardest thing I’ve faced yet. Not only was it incredibly painful but I had to lay on my back in bed for six weeks. I never could have managed without the help, love and support of my family during this time. I was unable to perform even every day tasks like putting on my socks. My mother moved in to help me cook, clean, shop and recover. I don’t know how I could have done it without her.
These days my Lupus is in remission and my hip is healing well; I can even get around without the use of my wheel chair, crutches or cane. I continue eating as healthy as possible and I’ve recently been able to re-introduce fish to my diet. I maintain a strict vegetarian meal plan; making sure to only eat fresh organic produce, drink spring water and fresh squeezed juice. It can be very difficult sometimes to eat this way; It makes going out to eat complicated and I usually have to bring my own food to friends’ houses.
Through hard work and dedication I’ve been able to keep my Lupus in remission. I feel this is in no small part due to the changes I’ve made in my eating habits. This book is not designed to be a diet plan or weight loss solution. I just wanted to share some of these healthy recipes that got me through some very tough times.
I hope you enjoy them!
-Nick
Cooking With Nick
