I have mysterious health problems. For at least four years now I've had the suspicion that things weren't quite right, that life wasn't quite this uncomfortable for everyone else, that I actually wasn't sure I knew what it felt like to feel good. Doctors have not been any help - they're happy to write me a migraine prescription for the headaches or tell me to exercise more for the fatigue (more than 4-5 days a week?!) or suggest a remedy for the nausea or even pontificate as to why I might get sick so frequently, but they're generally unwilling to look for a larger cause behind the symptoms.
I've decided to try a new regime based on research and information I've found that seems very likely to address my condition. (It's also something my Dad has found helpful for himself, and I do seem to be the lucky one in the family to take after my Dad's health... Thanks, Dad!)
So for the next month (I started this Wednesday), no sugar (including fruit), no caffeine, and ideally no dairy products shall pass my lips. Also, I'm limiting carbs as much as possible to complex carbs like brown rice, oatmeal, high-fiber breakfast cereals (with no milk) and that sort of thing. In other words, my life in the kitchen just got really boring.
Fruit smoothies, I miss you already. KitchenAid ice cream maker, good-bye for a month. Only Nathan shall taste the creamy goodness of your silver womb.
For now, I'm currently bombarding my body with vegetables and carrot juice the sheer volume of which would put a vegetarian to shame!
So next time you see me, you may not recognize me...
I think I'm turning orange.
Better than turning green!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new diet. How about frozen yogurt? Don't use sugar, just put greek yogurt in your ice cream maker. I actually prefer frozen yogurt over ice cream now.
About 5 years ago we made some changes to our diet and it's been really good for us. I was just feeling "not good" every evening and Amber said that it just shouldn't be like that so we started cutting out a bunch of stuff from our diet. Dairy. Hydrogenated oils. Heavily processed foods. We cut way back on our meat, and largely ate vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteIt turned out that I was lactose intolerant so now I usually just eat goat or sheep cheese. I think that cutting the hydrogenated oils and packaged/processed foods helped a lot too. We still avoid them whenever possible and only eat meat a couple times a week.
I hope that the changes that you're making help!
Good luck, I hope you find something that helps you out. Matt and I were lucky that it was something relatively easy to narrow down and then avoid. It was also good that he didn't have to give up his beloved coffee. :-) Even though we ended up figuring out it was a severe lactose issue, we stayed with all the other dietary changes too and ended up losing about 30 lbs each over the course of about a year. It also has been great for our energy levels and all around health.
ReplyDeleteHave you been tested for anemia?
ReplyDeleteI'm also somewhat lactose intolerance (as some of your commentors are), so the only dairy I really eat (apart from ice cream every once in awhile) is yogurt cuz the bacteria cultures are good for you.
Lots of protein too - eggs, beans, meat.
Speaking of meat, I want a hamburger. A nice American hamburger. Can't get any of those around here.
It doesn't have to be boring! (Although if I gave up espresso you would have to scrape me off the floor.)
ReplyDeleteI second the beans suggestion. One of my favorite meals is black beans stir fried (in a non-stick pan) with makeshift salsa, i.e. tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic (whatever vegetables I have on hand). You can also substitute beans with high protein/multi grain pastas, and it magically turns into something like spaghetti. Finish everything up with fresh herbs--it will (almost) make up for the missing cheese.
More encouraging words--you eventually stop missing unhealthy foods. Frozen yogurt starts to taste like ice cream to me, and I prefer brown rice to white... and you will feel so much better!