Welcome to AIPooja!
My name is Pooja, and I am trying to keep my head above water while balancing disease, wellness, and graduate school. Continually learning and growing, with no end in sight. I hope you find something you can relate to here!
Author Archives: Pooja Parikh
Chocolate Coconut Cashew Butter (Paleo-friendly!)
When I first tried out the Paleo Diet, I was desperate to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. I could give up bread and starches, but I wasn’t about to give up chocolate. Another difficult thing for me was … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Paleo, Recipes
Tagged butter, cashew butter, cashews, chocolate, chocolate cashew butter, chocolate coconut, chocolate coconut cashew butter, coconut, delicious, dessert, diet, easy, food, healthy, paleo, paleo diet, recipe, recipes, simple
6 Comments
Borrowing Legs for 26.2 Miles
A question I’ve been asked several times is what exactly a person thinks about for 26.2 miles. Music is great and all, but it cannot possibly be enough to occupy your mind for that long. For my first marathon, I … Continue reading
Managing Stress
I can control everything I eat, keep track of every ingredient of every food, resist every temptation to eat something with even the slightest hint of a nightshade, but if I am stressed out, the effort all goes out the … Continue reading
Posted in Fitness, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc
Tagged advice, change, doctor, doctor recommended, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, managing stress, meditation, music, read, seinfeld, serenity, simple, stress, trigger, yoga
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Easy Andes Mint Brownies
Happy May to you! First of all, let’s start with breakfast: Scrambled eggs with onion, mushroom, black olives, feta cheese, garlic salt, and black pepper. Paired with an apple and a glass of 1/2 water, 1/2 cranberry juice. Deeeelicious. Now, … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Recipes
Tagged andes baking chips, andes mint brownies, andes mints, black olives, breakfast, brownies, chocolate, delicious, dessert, easy, easy mint brownies, eggs, feta, ghirardelli, mint, mint brownies, mushroom, onion, recipe, recipes, scrambled eggs, simple, sweet
6 Comments
“Look for the Rainbow”
Today I’m going to share something with you that is very special and empowering to me. Recently, a close childhood friend of my mom’s shared my pain and wrote a beautiful poem about finding the hope in pain and sorrow … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged beautiful, being sick, change, compassion, courage, discouragement, disease, emotional, empower, empowering, friend, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, lend a hand, love, motivation, pain, perseverance, poem, share, sickness, story, strength, support, truth
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Stuck in “One Year Ago” Land
I haven’t blogged in a while because I’m in a bit of a rut. I feel like I’m trapped inside my own head and I’m not sure how to reach out about it. Lately, I’ve been stuck in what I … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged advice, anniversary, being sick, change, discouragement, disease, emotional, health, healthy, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, mental health, motivation, perseverance, physical health, sickness, story, therapy
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My Running Playlist “Must Haves”
One thing that is extremely important to me when I run is the music playing in my ears. It boosts my mood and keeps me going, providing motivation when necessary as well! I have a variety of playlists–one for running … Continue reading
Monster Cookies (AKA “Forgive Me” Cookies)
So…funny story. For over a month, I had something that belonged to my close friend Buzz. I kept meaning to mail it to him (as I had promised), but it repeatedly slipped my mind until I became the mayor of … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Food, Misc, Recipes
Tagged chocolate, chocolate chip, cookie, cookies, delicious, dessert, easy, food, forgiveness, forgiveness cookies, m&ms, monster, monster cookies, oatmeal, peanut butter, recipe, recipes
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Happy Birthday, Mom
Today is a very special day. Why? Because today is my mom’s birthday. Let me tell you a bit about my mom: This is the woman who dedicated her life to making me feel less lonely. Last year, when my … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged being sick, birthday, compassion, discouragement, emotional, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, love, mom, mommy, sickness, story, strength, support
6 Comments
The Paleo Diet and Hidradenitis Suppurativa: My Paleo Essentials
One of the major reasons I decided to give the Paleo diet another go was to share more about it on here, and I realize that I haven’t exactly upheld that promise. I am going to start a segment called … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Paleo, Uncategorized
Tagged advice, change, cheating, diet, essential, food, fridge, fruits, grocery list, health, healthy, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, paleo, paleo diet, pantry, recommendation, vegetables
10 Comments
AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 