Listen to your Body!

There are very interesting things you can find out when you listen to your body. I know for me that having such a tough situation and not being able to be strictly paleo has shed some light on listening to my body. Some expected...some very unexpected.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Paleo is a great diet for those of us who are gluten intolerant. (It has benefits for many more people and you should check out places like PaleoMom.com to see if you could benefit.) Please remember, there are a lot of great people out there that are much further along on their journey than I am.

I was reading an article earlier today about the "gray areas" in paleo. Some things can be considered somewhat paleo... Some people can disagree... Some people may have an ancestral heritage that favors being able to tolerate these gray area foods. The best tool of diagnosis though, is your own body.

Once you remove all of the processed goods it is much easier to identify issues you may have. Now...Being in our situation (still in a hotel) we are not able to just go out to the grocery store and buy regular meat and veggies. We're relying heavily on expensive gluten free frozen and microwaveable products. Let me tell you, over processed crap tastes bad whether it's "healthier" for you or not. It's basically what I like to call "The diet coke of evil..." (Anyone catch that reference? If so...you're cool.)

I've gone a month without coffee. And I didn't die! (Yes...surprise.) I have started drinking coffee again, but I'm considering just nixing it from my diet. Why? I don't like the idea of decaf. I've heard decaf is worse than the regular because of the chemicals they use to mostly decaffinate the coffee. I realize, I am still addicted. That's an interesting story for another post though.
Needless to say, I've cut out a lot. Most seeds, all conventional processed food, and sugar. Here's the wacky things my body has been up to.

One night was just one of those nights I couldn't avoid gluten. I have mostly been drinking water, but I just had a hankering (southern for craving) for some slightly sweet tea. I often order a half sweet tea...but I kept finding it was ridiculously too sweet. Well this night I noticeably started to get an incredibly awful headache. I didn't understand it. I was also repulsed by this tea. So I switched to water. I noticed my headache went away even though I was still eating gluten. I still felt bloated and over full...tired and icky. But...the head bursting headache subsided quickly. Am I having a reaction to sugar!? I am most certain that I have avoided conventional sugar that this sweet tea has been giving me these outrageous headaches.

This is even how I discovered my gluten intolerance. I took it out for a while, had a slip up, and ended up very ill the next morning. My point being that when you cut out all of the junk, it is quite easy to discover where your issues are. I had heard about this with my son's lactose intolerance. I never considered this as the missing link to discover what was causing my health issues.

In a similar fashion, I've noticed what my body is craving. If I'm craving  beef or greens, I'm probably in need of some iron. I find myself craving good food. So I encourage anyone to try it out. Cut out the junk and extra stuff. If you add back in dairy and have an adverse side effect...you may need to cut it out. Today, as a matter of fact, I had one of my favorite Mocha Cappucino cold coffee drinks. I fell victim to the savy mom thought of a buy one get one free! I had originally thought dairy hadn't bothered me. However, because Mark is lactose intolerant, I often try my best to avoid it. I checked the label and it did not have any wheat (gluten) products. After I finished this drink I felt like I blew up! My stomach was so full and I felt bloated. I hadn't eaten much before this and it was about time to be hungry again and yet I felt like I just ate a five course meal.

One goal in Paleo is to avoid things that irritate and/or inflame the body, mostly "the gut." Now...just because it irritates you, doesn't mean you are allergic or intolerant. It's something to pay attention to. We're really searching for what is the optimal food for your body. So far I'm down to the basics. No gluten, no sugar, no dairy.

I often get those comments...I don't know what I'd do without cheese!!!! (Which I'll continue in a different post.) But, all in all, when you realize it's just not good for your body and it may be keeping you from your goals...you get over it.

So listen to your body! Sometimes you can be your best friend when it comes to this journey of discovery. I've even had compliments that I looked like I had lost weight, even though I haven't lost anything through this trying situation. When I am able to stay as clean as possible with my diet, I feel so much better and have plenty of energy to get through the day. Any slip ups and I'm ready for a nap and am usually not very happy with bathroom visits (yeah...sorry but it's true!).

Good luck!