How I Came to Really Love Real Food, Part Five
One matter that has complicated things considerably has been my health. Following a miscarriage in the fall of 2005, I found that my health began to change in other ways as well. The first thing I noticed was a burning rash on my toes. It didn't itch, but it was uncomfortable and somewhat painful. I also noticed my hair falling out in bunches, and I was extremely cold all the time. In the winter particularly, I was also very easily fatigued, and often tired even right after having slept all night. It seemed strange to me that these things started happening rather suddenly. My family doctor ruled out a hypothyroid through blood tests, and sent me to a dermatologist who told me I had Raynaud's Syndrome. Later, I developed an extremely itchy, sensitive patch of skin on the palm of my right hand. Having been educating myself on health issues for a while by this time, and knowing myself better than any doctor, it was my opinion that I was beginning to slide towards an autoimmune type of dysfunction. This is the type of disease seen in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, and fibromyalgia, for example.
At this point, I could have relied on the knowledge of my "regular" doctors. If I had done so, I would probably be taking a number of pharmaceutical drugs by now, and my health would not be any better. In fact, I believe it would be much worse. Not that drugs are entirely bad; however, many times they do nothing but mask symptoms. They do not get to the bottom of the problem that is causing the symptoms. They may bring temporary relief (which can be very valuable), but other than that, I believe their worth is debatable.
It took me a while to really research things and to try out various hypotheses as far as what might help my health to turn around. But the one thing I kept coming across in all of my research for chronic health problems of almost any kind was to dramatically decrease carbohydrate consumption, including eliminating all grains, and to increase intake of good fats like butter, cream, coconut oil, and fish oils. The more I studied, the more convinced I became that this was the answer for me. But it took me a while to get up the nerve to get started. I was chicken. The very idea of attempting to eliminate grains was intimidating. It sounded almost impossible. But I did it.
Beginning February first of last year (2007), I cut out all grains, including corn, wheat, rice, and oats. I also cut out potatoes and all sweeteners, including nutritive sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. The first few weeks it was extremely difficult. Extremely. After that it got much easier. I had a lot of homemade soup, which is what really got me through. It is extremely nourishing and filling. I have to clarify here that I do not believe this is a "normal" diet for people in good health. God made grains, potatoes, and honey. I think they are good for food. However, when our health becomes compromised, sometimes we have to narrow our diets in order to correct our bodies' balance.
It has been over a year since I made these changes. I have had breaks where I have had potatoes and ice cream for treats. But those have been brief "vacations". Overall, my carb intake has remained low for the last year. I had a small slice of cake last fall. The next day I was sick the whole day. That's how I found that my body is no longer able to tolerate wheat. I believe this is because of the damage previous diet and antibiotics had done to my digestive tract. You've probably noticed that the number of people with food sensitivities/allergies like this has skyrocketed in the recent past. Antibiotics can severely damage your digestive tract. Other drugs that also cause this type of damage are steroids, NSAIDS (Tylenol, for example), and birth control pills.
The difference this diet has made in my health has been amazing. My energy improved, the patch of eczema on the palm of my hand disappeared, my hair stopped falling out, and my body temperature increased. I am still easily chilled, but I think there is a possibility that this will improve as well with time. I am also still sensitive to wheat, but that is just a consequence I will probably have to live with for the rest of my life. It has also been helpful for me to take a number of whole food-based supplements (including iodine and organ extracts). So it hasn't been completely diet-only changes that I have made. But most of the improvement I feel has been as a result of the diet changes.
Next time, I will wrap things up and present a conclusion.
At this point, I could have relied on the knowledge of my "regular" doctors. If I had done so, I would probably be taking a number of pharmaceutical drugs by now, and my health would not be any better. In fact, I believe it would be much worse. Not that drugs are entirely bad; however, many times they do nothing but mask symptoms. They do not get to the bottom of the problem that is causing the symptoms. They may bring temporary relief (which can be very valuable), but other than that, I believe their worth is debatable.
It took me a while to really research things and to try out various hypotheses as far as what might help my health to turn around. But the one thing I kept coming across in all of my research for chronic health problems of almost any kind was to dramatically decrease carbohydrate consumption, including eliminating all grains, and to increase intake of good fats like butter, cream, coconut oil, and fish oils. The more I studied, the more convinced I became that this was the answer for me. But it took me a while to get up the nerve to get started. I was chicken. The very idea of attempting to eliminate grains was intimidating. It sounded almost impossible. But I did it.
Beginning February first of last year (2007), I cut out all grains, including corn, wheat, rice, and oats. I also cut out potatoes and all sweeteners, including nutritive sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. The first few weeks it was extremely difficult. Extremely. After that it got much easier. I had a lot of homemade soup, which is what really got me through. It is extremely nourishing and filling. I have to clarify here that I do not believe this is a "normal" diet for people in good health. God made grains, potatoes, and honey. I think they are good for food. However, when our health becomes compromised, sometimes we have to narrow our diets in order to correct our bodies' balance.
It has been over a year since I made these changes. I have had breaks where I have had potatoes and ice cream for treats. But those have been brief "vacations". Overall, my carb intake has remained low for the last year. I had a small slice of cake last fall. The next day I was sick the whole day. That's how I found that my body is no longer able to tolerate wheat. I believe this is because of the damage previous diet and antibiotics had done to my digestive tract. You've probably noticed that the number of people with food sensitivities/allergies like this has skyrocketed in the recent past. Antibiotics can severely damage your digestive tract. Other drugs that also cause this type of damage are steroids, NSAIDS (Tylenol, for example), and birth control pills.
The difference this diet has made in my health has been amazing. My energy improved, the patch of eczema on the palm of my hand disappeared, my hair stopped falling out, and my body temperature increased. I am still easily chilled, but I think there is a possibility that this will improve as well with time. I am also still sensitive to wheat, but that is just a consequence I will probably have to live with for the rest of my life. It has also been helpful for me to take a number of whole food-based supplements (including iodine and organ extracts). So it hasn't been completely diet-only changes that I have made. But most of the improvement I feel has been as a result of the diet changes.
Next time, I will wrap things up and present a conclusion.
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