We do strange things to our bodies sometimes. As for me, I’m trying to do some things that will HELP my body, but in the process they can sure make me grumpy.
For starters, because of some health and pain issues (I’ll write more about that another time), I have had to adopt a new, radical, restrictive diet. Diet isn’t even the right word, because we use that word all wrong in our culture today. I’m talking about a new lifestyle, a new way of eating and looking at food. I’m hoping that after a short (maybe 2 – 3 month) intensive elimination diet that I can begin to eat a little more normally again. Right now, it’s all or nothing!!!
I won’t go into all the details now, but my approach has centered around The Yeast Connection diet. Those “yeastie beasties” that live in our digestive tracts can cause real problems. If they can be kept at bay, through anti-fungal medications (both prescription and natural remedies) and change of eating habits, while encouraging the growth of the good bacteria in our systems, then a person’s health generally improves, and usually GREATLY improves.
SO, what does this ‘diet’ look like?
For me, it looks like this:
No Yeast
No Wheat
I usually look for Gluten Free because it’s almost always wheat free. Gluten bothers some people on this diet and not others.
(That means no BREAD, tortillas, rolls, buns, crackers, pancakes, waffles, muffins, cakes, cookies, pizza, bagels, etc.! I LOVE BREAD! This is a huge part of what we as a family eat each day. Not being able to eat these things has been VERY hard for me. It can make me grumpy, especially when I crave those things – thankfully, that’s happening less and less.)
No Sugars
(of any kind whatsoever – maple syrup, honey, table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, Splenda, fructose, glucose, corn syrup, etc., etc., etc… sugar feeds the yeast, and we want to starve them.)
No Chocolate
(remember I mentioned being grumpy!!!)
No Fruit or fruit juices
(because they turn to sugar in your bloodstream very quickly)
No Dairy
No Food Coloring
AVOID processed foods
Let me see, is that all? Did I mention NO CHOCOLATE?
OK – looking at that list you might be wondering what I CAN eat. (I’ve wandered around my house wondering that same thing myself on several occasions each day!)
I can eat:
All the Meat I want – preferrably organic, and mostly chicken and game (although no processed meats – sausages, lunch meat, etc.)
All the fish I want – preferrably salt water/open sea kinds of fish
All the vegetables you have ever heard of (and some you may not have!) (careful on corn and potatoes, and no mushrooms)
Whole grains other than wheat (Brown Rice, Amaranth, Quinoa, Oatmeal, etc.)
Tree nuts – preferrably fresh but no pistaschios
Eggs – as long as they are tolerated (sometimes they’re OK, sometimes they’re not)
Soy based products – tofu, etc. (though I’m also avoiding those because of some of the health stuff going on…)
I can drink:
Filtered Water – yum, yum
Maximum of 1 cup Tea or Decaf Coffee (as long as it is well tolerated)
Rice Beverages that fit the above criteria (unsweetened, unflavored…)
Why would anyone want to try to stick to this eating plan? It’s crazy!!!
When I first looked at it, I was like “Yeah, right, there’s no way I can make that work.” But as my pain continued to get worse and worse, and because I can’t live on pain medications for the rest of my life, I knew I would have to do something, and my reasearch lead me in this direction.
Guess what!? I’ve been sticking pretty closely to this since the end of January, and it helps my pain TREMENDOUSLY!
Whereas before I would live in almost constant pain (on a scale of 1 to 10, I was usually around 8 or 9), now I might have a bout of pain that lasts half an hour or so and it peaks at around 5 or 6 on the scale.
So, I’ll keep posting more about what my pain is and how it has affected my life, and also how the new eating is going.
If changing what I eat makes my life more liveable, then I’ll praise the Lord in the process and ask Him for the strength to avoid the things I’m not supposed to eat. If having to be extreme in my food choices means that I have little or no pain, then I’ll just have to be extreme.
(As a short side note: I never wanted to be one of those people I perceived to be CRAZY about organic this, and whole food source that, and natural everything…but lo and behold, here I am! I’ll see you in the Natural Food/Organic section with my rice cakes and “health food”!)
CHEERS!
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