Hello, Friends,
I've been reflecting . . .
When I felt my physical best in adulthood, what had I done to recapture such wellness?
First, I had my "you need a biopsy" scare, which I've written about previously. Feeling desperate to avoid cancer at that time, I looked up a complementary medicine physician. I then attended a lecture of his at a local bookstore. His expertise was evident.
I became his patient in the summer of 1998. The goal, for me, was a simple one: Avoid cancer. Since the good doctor could not guarantee that I did not already have cancer, he advised me to go through with the biopsy which was hanging ominously over my head. I did this within a few months. Thankfully, all turned out well. No cancer.
The regimen advised by my new physician was not easy, but that didn't faze me. I hadn't yet thought to raise the question of my being tested for gluten/gliadin antibodies, so a gluten-free lifestyle never came up as a topic. The doctor did, however, give me an "avoid" list. I was to avoid all wheat products except spelt and a bread made entirely of sprouted ingredients, called "Ezekiel Bread." I was to avoid all dairy products. No cow's yogurt, no goat yogurt, no ice cream, no cheese. This left organic, non-GMO soy milk as a protein-based drink for me. [The physician later advised me to avoid soy milk, having acquired misgivings about its safety and efficacy -- at least in my own case.]
The "avoid" list also encompassed many other things -- e.g., chemically afflicted foods and products -- which I can't remember precisely right now. The doctor gave me a medium-sized list of supplements to take. My Vitamin C stores were something like sub-zero despite my having taken exorbitant amounts of many different brands of C, so this time I took Nutricology's "Buffered Vitamin C Powder." This formulation turned out to be very "bioavailable" to me -- which meant that I could actually absorb it and benefit from it. (The physician explained that the other brand of Vitamin C I'd been using the most turned out to be "not bioavailable" to many people. This was a learning moment. I felt quite different when taking Nutricology's "Buffered C" powder.)
I followed this dietary regimen to the letter. Pounds just fell off me. Pretty soon I was back to clothes in teenage sizes. My body felt "clear." Free of sludge. Light, bouncy. I remember thinking to myself that the last time I'd felt that way was when I was in the seventh grade.
Which was ironic, because my esteemed physician's wisdom and guidance had given me just enough stamina to take on a full-time job teaching a small class of seventh- and eighth-graders for the 1998-99 school year. While it's true that I was thoroughly wiped out at the end of each school day and crashed on the couch as soon as I got home, I was elated at how sprightly I felt while engaged in my job. I noticed this especially at recess time on the playground. I could move around as freely and quickly as any of my students. I was amazed. I recall eating canned sardines for lunch most days, sardines being one of the more chemically safe fish available at the time.
This dietary regimen also kept excessive amounts of migraine headaches at bay. While I was still highly chemically sensitive at the time, I was able to be in a school building amidst all of the clothing fragrances, shampoo fragrances, soap fragrances, and what have you. My migraines were reduced to a much more manageable frequency. I was eating only organic fruit and organic fresh vegetables -- organic everything to the greatest extent possible. The whole routine, including the periodic doctor visits, was a very expensive venture. Which is why it's extremely hard to do that all over again now. Fees have only gone up since then.
So, in terms of choreographing food regimens, I'm on my own for a while. It helps to recall that incredible restoration of my health back in 1998 and 1999, and all that went into it. I'd stopped thinking about it, stopped learning from it, because it has seemed so far out of my grasp these days. The extreme swelling in my lower limbs from Lyme disease in the spring/summer, and the residual inflammation which still remains in my lower limbs even as I write this, put a bit of a dent in me. I'm presently in search of a remedy for this.
Had I not felt free to use soy milk as a protein mainstay back in 1998-99, that dietary regimen would have been much more difficult for me to sustain. When my protein intake falls too low, I get cardiac arrhythmias. So I have to be sure that I have a protein source readily available. This is a tough thing for me to do without the easy protein from soy milk. Coconut milk, for example, has very little protein. It's a wonderful powerhouse of nutrition and supposedly excellent for the metabolism, but if it's quick protein I need, I've learned that I'd better seek out another source. Gluten-free protein bars can take you only so far, and who needs all that sugar?
My present status is "gluten-free" once again, and I'm contemplating -- also "once again" -- attempting to give up all dairy. For a gluten-free person, giving up dairy requires much more home-cooking and advance preparation of protein-based foods with gluten-free flours. In short, it requires work.
However, the better I feel as I become more and more distant from my last serving of gluten, the more energy I hope to have with which to expand upon this gluten-free lifestyle. I must confess, it still boggles my mind that so many people, myself included, benefit from giving up those very foods which are supposed to be so nurturing to human health. My philosophical difficulty with embracing this contradiction accounts for the numerous times I begin to give up gluten and dairy and then go back to both. I cannot deny, however, that my health really picks up when I give up both staple foods.
If I think about this scenario in a long-term light, I don't think I can keep up with avoiding these foods. If I think about it only in terms of this day, this hour . . .
Maybe I can do this. :)
Cheers!
~ Carolyn
I've been reflecting . . .
When I felt my physical best in adulthood, what had I done to recapture such wellness?
First, I had my "you need a biopsy" scare, which I've written about previously. Feeling desperate to avoid cancer at that time, I looked up a complementary medicine physician. I then attended a lecture of his at a local bookstore. His expertise was evident.
I became his patient in the summer of 1998. The goal, for me, was a simple one: Avoid cancer. Since the good doctor could not guarantee that I did not already have cancer, he advised me to go through with the biopsy which was hanging ominously over my head. I did this within a few months. Thankfully, all turned out well. No cancer.
The regimen advised by my new physician was not easy, but that didn't faze me. I hadn't yet thought to raise the question of my being tested for gluten/gliadin antibodies, so a gluten-free lifestyle never came up as a topic. The doctor did, however, give me an "avoid" list. I was to avoid all wheat products except spelt and a bread made entirely of sprouted ingredients, called "Ezekiel Bread." I was to avoid all dairy products. No cow's yogurt, no goat yogurt, no ice cream, no cheese. This left organic, non-GMO soy milk as a protein-based drink for me. [The physician later advised me to avoid soy milk, having acquired misgivings about its safety and efficacy -- at least in my own case.]
The "avoid" list also encompassed many other things -- e.g., chemically afflicted foods and products -- which I can't remember precisely right now. The doctor gave me a medium-sized list of supplements to take. My Vitamin C stores were something like sub-zero despite my having taken exorbitant amounts of many different brands of C, so this time I took Nutricology's "Buffered Vitamin C Powder." This formulation turned out to be very "bioavailable" to me -- which meant that I could actually absorb it and benefit from it. (The physician explained that the other brand of Vitamin C I'd been using the most turned out to be "not bioavailable" to many people. This was a learning moment. I felt quite different when taking Nutricology's "Buffered C" powder.)
I followed this dietary regimen to the letter. Pounds just fell off me. Pretty soon I was back to clothes in teenage sizes. My body felt "clear." Free of sludge. Light, bouncy. I remember thinking to myself that the last time I'd felt that way was when I was in the seventh grade.
Which was ironic, because my esteemed physician's wisdom and guidance had given me just enough stamina to take on a full-time job teaching a small class of seventh- and eighth-graders for the 1998-99 school year. While it's true that I was thoroughly wiped out at the end of each school day and crashed on the couch as soon as I got home, I was elated at how sprightly I felt while engaged in my job. I noticed this especially at recess time on the playground. I could move around as freely and quickly as any of my students. I was amazed. I recall eating canned sardines for lunch most days, sardines being one of the more chemically safe fish available at the time.
This dietary regimen also kept excessive amounts of migraine headaches at bay. While I was still highly chemically sensitive at the time, I was able to be in a school building amidst all of the clothing fragrances, shampoo fragrances, soap fragrances, and what have you. My migraines were reduced to a much more manageable frequency. I was eating only organic fruit and organic fresh vegetables -- organic everything to the greatest extent possible. The whole routine, including the periodic doctor visits, was a very expensive venture. Which is why it's extremely hard to do that all over again now. Fees have only gone up since then.
So, in terms of choreographing food regimens, I'm on my own for a while. It helps to recall that incredible restoration of my health back in 1998 and 1999, and all that went into it. I'd stopped thinking about it, stopped learning from it, because it has seemed so far out of my grasp these days. The extreme swelling in my lower limbs from Lyme disease in the spring/summer, and the residual inflammation which still remains in my lower limbs even as I write this, put a bit of a dent in me. I'm presently in search of a remedy for this.
Had I not felt free to use soy milk as a protein mainstay back in 1998-99, that dietary regimen would have been much more difficult for me to sustain. When my protein intake falls too low, I get cardiac arrhythmias. So I have to be sure that I have a protein source readily available. This is a tough thing for me to do without the easy protein from soy milk. Coconut milk, for example, has very little protein. It's a wonderful powerhouse of nutrition and supposedly excellent for the metabolism, but if it's quick protein I need, I've learned that I'd better seek out another source. Gluten-free protein bars can take you only so far, and who needs all that sugar?
My present status is "gluten-free" once again, and I'm contemplating -- also "once again" -- attempting to give up all dairy. For a gluten-free person, giving up dairy requires much more home-cooking and advance preparation of protein-based foods with gluten-free flours. In short, it requires work.
However, the better I feel as I become more and more distant from my last serving of gluten, the more energy I hope to have with which to expand upon this gluten-free lifestyle. I must confess, it still boggles my mind that so many people, myself included, benefit from giving up those very foods which are supposed to be so nurturing to human health. My philosophical difficulty with embracing this contradiction accounts for the numerous times I begin to give up gluten and dairy and then go back to both. I cannot deny, however, that my health really picks up when I give up both staple foods.
If I think about this scenario in a long-term light, I don't think I can keep up with avoiding these foods. If I think about it only in terms of this day, this hour . . .
Maybe I can do this. :)
Cheers!
~ Carolyn
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