This whole diet change seems so big, I’m making it it’s own post. I think it needs that.
I’ve known about the AutoImmune Protocol (AIP) Paleo diet for awhile now. I first read about it earlier this year, read how many foods were eliminated on top of regular paleo and said No. Way. Ever.
Foods also eliminated were ALL nuts (good bye almond butter?), eggs, ALL added sugar (even agave nectar, ect). ‘Nightshades’, which are things like peppers, tomatoes and eggplants etc. including spices from them. A lot of other things too, but these were the big things for me.
Foods added IN are a variety of protein sources, veggies (basically eat the rainbow of veggies) and fruits are ok, but limit fructose consumption, and healthy fats. The main theme is the variety. For protein, it’s proven that organ meat is the most nutrient dense protein source, so eat up! Fish sources are also listed highly too. The veggie list is extensive, from cauliflower to fiddlehead to dabberlocks..? (Did I get you on that one? It’s a ‘sea veggie’). Anyway, I think you get the point.
So I read this, went ‘yeah right’ and moved along with my day/month/year.
Fast forward to now, I yam where I yam (ha! Couldn’t resist, sorry) and have rethought this so called ‘miracle diet’. It also kept popping up in the most random places throughout the year, like it was yelling at me, “read about me!, read about me!” So I did. I started to read, a lot. I read about the diet and the reason why each food group was eliminated. I read about what happens to our bodies and most specifically our gut and digestive system when we have MS (leaky gut anyone?) and I found that many of the things described, were things I had been experiencing. I had thought that all theses stomach things I had going on, were just normal (really, is it normal to look 3 months prego after a meal?), or just a part of me, but they may be part of the larger MS related picture.
So off I go on a food related, elimination diet, GI doctor visit, type of quest that will hopefully give me some answers as to what has given me two stomach pain ‘flares’ with no appetite and pain with food.
Now I’m not doing this 100% yet, but I’m eliminating gluten (that was already gone anyway), dairy, soy and nightshades. I’m holding onto dear life to eggs and nuts. I can’t part with my almond butter just yet.
I am thankful to say I am not alone on this journey. Le Boyfriend is 100% in it with me. What I eat he eats (except for some beer, which is ok in my book). The other night I realized how hard it will be when my idea to just throw something together for myself for dinner became so much harder without my usual staples of tomatoes and peppers. I wandered around Whole Foods for least half an hour thinking of ideas before giving up (I ended up with scrambled eggs).
But, I did make a fantastic dinner of shrimp and cauliflower rice last night, which I did throw together (and was kind of proud of). Now I know how all those amazing cooks who create their own cookbooks do it, they just wing it to start. Maybe I’ll have a cookbook someday.