The final medical opinion is in on my mysterious body reactions to food. I have been to several specialists, stuck with needles enough times to have a tattoo inside my elbow, scanned, had a couple of procedures performed, and made diet changes. So, what did all of this time and money spent finally tell me?
The final results have to do with the aging body. What a slap in the face. We lose flexibility, elasticity, and memory, and as if that isn’t enough, our bodies stop processing what we eat efficiently. Our immune systems do not work as well, either. For me, that means eating minimally processed, whole foods. Snack cakes, candy, sauces, canned foods, frozen meals, pizza, dairy products, breads, corn products, sugar or sugar substitutes (except stevia), onions, and processed meats are examples of the foods no longer on my menu. Eating out at restaurants is taboo. Some fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, minimally processed meat (no broth injected chicken, hot dogs, lunchmeat, etc.), almond milk, and plain shredded wheat now make up my grocery list. I try to make everything from scratch (broth, soups, etc.), and I try to buy organic whenever possible. If you look up the mold free, yeast free diets, you basically have my new eating regimen. I also looked up the blood type diet (0 negative), and it is surprisingly similar to these diets.
Do I ever cheat? I live in the United States, meaning it is hard to get away from processed food, so I do give in once in a while. Because I don’t feel well afterward when I give in (bloating, gassy, itchy skin, etc.), I actually prefer to stick to my new diet. I gave in on our last camping trip and had two s’mores and birthday cake. I was miserable for a couple of days, but once I got back on track, I started to feel better.
Being restricted to this new way of eating is not all bad. Some of the perks are more energy, fewer muscle aches, less bloating and gas, and a healthy body weight. If I had chosen to eat this way all of my life, I could have avoided the ill effects of processed foods so much sooner. Really, our bodies were created to be fueled this way. Oh well, I am enjoying the sweet life now, just not sweetened foods.
Better to Laugh 