For centuries there's been theories about how food heals us or makes us sick. Most of these theories get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. Many of us are too focused on our careers, our finances and our families to notice that the very foods we consume daily are the cause of many of our health issues. I mean, obviously, most of us know that eating fast food and junk food is not good for us and comes with grave, health risks, but what if some of the "healthy" foods we consume regularly are causing our health issues? I'll be honest, that's not something I'd ever considered prior to watching the Thyroid Secret and starting the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). However, thirty-eight days in and I can say without a doubt that food is the cause of much of my suffering.
Watching the Thyroid Secret was difficult for me. The series is long and I was desperate for answers, yet still very skeptical. I watched, but I'll admit that I skipped through some of it. Perhaps, I wasn't completely ready to hear the message; I'm not completely sure. After watching the series I hesitantly, almost begrudgingly, decided to try the Autoimmune Protocol, BUT only for thirty days. I wasn't willing to give up my life (irony at its finest) for some "fad" diet. I mean, everywhere you look people are giving up gluten, and I was certain that it was just some half-baked theory.
After the first week, I thought if I saw changes at all, they were so minor they couldn't be making that much of a difference in my life. By the second week, I noticed that I had this energy that I hadn't had in years. I also noticed that certain foods caused me to have reactions, some minor, like running to the bathroom after I ate, & some pretty major causing headaches, dizziness and fatigue. This was a huge shock for me, because I honestly never thought that I had any food related reactions. Talk about being humbled.
I started keeping a log of possible food reactions so that I can discover the culprit, if there's multiple possible suspects, or avoid the food altogether. You'd think it'd be pretty straightforward, however, it's not. You see, I, just like you, get busy (lazy) and occasionally forget to read labels. For instance, I've never had a reaction to coconut milk (I have reacted to coconut yogurt, you can read about that here). As long as it's unsweetened plain coconut milk, free of carrageenan (the one thing the AIP recommends avoiding in "milk") I feel like I'm safe. On Monday, I grabbed the coconut milk that my daughter had picked up at the store & I didn't even glance at the ingredients; I knew that it was free of the things I mentioned above. I made my collagen smoothie (coconut milk, a half cup of frozen mango, & a half of a frozen banana & 2 scoops of Vital Proteins collagen powder, blended). I began drinking it & I noticed that it tasted horrible, I knew it was the flavor of the coconut milk but I'd blended my two scoops of collagen into it and I didn't want to waste it. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, because, boy, did I pay for that. Within an hour I had a headache & a stomachache, but I thought maybe it was just in my head, because I really hadn't liked the coconut milk. By that evening, I went to bed early & just felt off. At that point, I knew it was more than the flavor of the coconut milk, but I hadn't checked the label yet. When I woke up on Tuesday, I felt like I had a hangover and I didn't want to get out of bed (a feeling I hadn't had since beginning my AIP journey). I finally got around to reading the label & while it had tons of ingredients, that are completely unnecessary, the one thing that stood out was locust bean. The coconut milk yogurt had the same ingredient. I quickly gave it a google, & low & behold it's a plant-based thickening agent that is a relative of peas and beans; both of which I react to. Mystery solved!! It only took me two pretty insense reactions & several days of not feeling well to discover the cause. Wow, this journey is filled with lessons.
I now know to avoid locust bean, but imagine how many times I've unknowingly consumed locust bean or any of the other foods that I react to, and had reactions without understanding that I'm actually reacting to a food item. How many times have I blamed my Hashimoto's for feeling horrible when it was actually something I had consumed (While, autoimmune disease is the underlying reason that my body is reacting to so many foods it is something that I can prevent.). How many days had I consumed multiple foods that my body was reacting to? If locust bean made me feel crappy for four days on its own, what did consuming five trigger-foods look like? Is it no wonder that I felt horrible all of the time? My body was in a perpetual state of reacting. Reacting to foods and reacting to the autoimmune disease that was/is at war with my immune system. What a mess!
On day thirty-eight, I'm here to proclaim that I'm no longer a skeptic. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that certain foods are, at least for now, the enemy, and I will do everything in my power to prevent those foods from impacting my health. I'm ready to battle to take my life back. 💯 Are you? Message me or click the link above to get started on your FREE seven day AIP journey.
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