Week One Done – For Better Or Worse

I am into week two of my elimination diet. I had originally planned to blog every day like I did once upon a time, but there is just no way now. So weekly updates and sporadic surprises blogs will have to do.

I have successfully avoided ingesting grains, dairy, inflammatory highly refined seed oils (corn, soy, canola, sunflower, vegetable, and grapeseed oils), and processed and added sweeteners (cane sugar, corn syrup, agave syrup, xylitol, etc.). Additionally, no alcohol and no caffeine. Well….by successfully avoided I mean I’m not giving up my splash of creamer in my morning coffee. While I totally believe discovering and ridding my diet of inflammatory foods is good for my health, going without coffee is not good for the health of anyone with whom I come into contact.

But I have changed my creamer. No dairy. I use an almond-based natural creamer. Eventually, as my palate changes, I’m going to try to make the switch to coconut cream in my coffee. Now that I’ve discovered coconut cream, we are having a passionate love affair. I don’t know how I didn’t know about this stuff earlier. I’ve used coconut oil before, but cream is new to me. I forever pledge my devotion to coconut cream whenever I make sweet potatoes from this moment forward. For better or for worse. For richer or poorer. Forsaking all others. Amen.

Okay…..so I have another confession to make. I did have one cheat moment. But I don’t feel the least bit guilty. Saturday was the gender reveal party for my first grandchild. I love food. I love sweets. I made a conscientious decision going into that event that I would eat before I went, chug a ton of water, and while there avoid everything on my elimination list…..except one cookie and a slice of cake. My daughter-in-law had the most adorable custom iced cookies made for the event. They were pure works of art. And the cake was blue because it’s going to be a boy. Fresh, delicious, moist blue cake to celebrate the upcoming arrival of my first grandson. Really, it would have been rude not to eat it. Grains, dairy, seed oils, and sweeteners be damned. Worth every bite.

And now I’m back on track. There are a few things I’ve noticed. Could be coincidence. Could be I’m sensitive to something I am now avoiding. My allergies and clearing of my throat are improved. My anxiety is improved. The arthritis and swelling in my hands are not problems at this moment. Some joint aches are improved. Of course, I had four migraines last week, but I am certain that has to do with the fact that my insurance company wants to make me jump through hoops to get my medication rather than anything dealing with my diet. However, I am now back on my medication so I’ll be eager to see if the elimination diet over a few weeks can help me determine some triggers. Additionally…..and I hesitate to say this…..but I’ve lost a few pounds, also. I hesitate to say that because it’s not really the point. The point is to reduce inflammation, focus on how I feel, try to find migraine triggers, manage stress better, have more energy, and sleep better. In a nutshell, the point is to be healthier. It’s not about losing weight. However, if that’s a side effect, I won’t complain.

Again, it could be coincidence or it could be due to foods, but the night after eating one piece of cake and splitting a cookie with my mom, I had the absolute worst night of sleep I’ve had in a very, very, very long time. I had trouble falling asleep (which is usually never an issue for me) due to hot flashes and restless legs. They were awful. I couldn’t keep my legs still. If you don’t deal with restless legs, it’s hard to explain that sensation. I’ve dealt with restless legs since I was a child, but they got considerably better after I had my children. Regardless, that night was one of the worst in years. My hips ached. It was literally like I was the princess in the old tale, “The Princess and the Pea.” And then when I did fall asleep, I could not stay asleep. I was hot….then cold…..then hot….then cold. And my joints ached and my legs wanted to move.

But I’d do it again for a piece of that blue cake. It was delicious. I hope I don’t discover cake is off-limits for me or things could get very interesting.

Milking My Headache

Day 2: Today was the day to give up dairy. No butter, no milk, no dairy-type creamer, no ice cream, no cheese. Some would say…no happiness. The grains part was easy, but I knew this one would be considerably more difficult. One day is one thing, but a month? We shall see if this really is an adventure in perfection.

The day started with a sizable challenge — a migraine. I knew it was coming since I haven’t had my migraine preventative medication since last week. I woke with a dull ache — nothing unbearable, but no fun. As the morning continued, I realized the bulk of this migraine would not be pain in my head, but nausea. When nausea accompanies my headaches, I reach for Pepsi. It soothes my stomach until the medication kicks in. I knew today was going to be a real test.

I needed to drive more than an hour to visit a school for work today. On my way out the door I grabbed my rescue migraine medication and a bottle of water along with a snack pack of carrots and an orange. After I took my medication, the nausea set in. It was intense. I sipped on the water hoping it would quell it. Thanks to morning traffic, I didn’t have any spare time to stop at a gas station and grab a soda. Honestly, that was the only reason why I didn’t indulge. And while I was at it, I probably would have grabbed a pack of crackers for good measure.

Eventually, I arrived at the school. The school secretary, a beacon of hospitality, offered me a bottle of water upon my arrival. I was relieved because I had finished my previous bottle at least 20 miles back. And right on time, my nausea and headache subsided just before I greeted the principal.

As for the rest of the day, I have become aware of how much I indulge in junk in the evening. My son and I bake cookies almost every night as part of our routine. He takes his shower while I stick the cookies in the oven. Once he gets out of the shower, we read, prepare for the next day, and eat the cookies. Last night I was able to skip the cookies with no problem, but tonight was a challenge. I’m not sure if it is mental games, migraine residuals, old habits, or none of those. However, I am starving. Starving. I want cookies. I want cheese. I want chocolate. I want soda, too, while we’re at it. I have some pretzels and chocolate hummus snack packs in my fridge right now. I want all of them. But I’ve been good. I figure if I can keep to my plan while battling my migraine, I can handle some cookie cravings.

Today’s food choices: baby carrots, orange, smoothie (coffee-flavored protein powder, coconut, dates), turkey burger, tomato slices, sweet potato with coconut cream and cinnamon, blueberries, cashews, coffee with almond creamer and water.

Going Against the Grain

I may not be old, but I’m older than I used to be. And my body knows it. I’m at the point where I still want to eat like my 20 year old self, but my body rejects that notion. I’ve not exactly been the kindest to myself since those pandemic days. And since Dad died, whatever healthy habits I may have had have fallen by the wayside. Chips? Yes, please. Fast food? If I must. Sitting for hours and hours. Check. Staying up late and having weird sleeping habits. Guilty. You get the idea. Honestly, there have been some days when taking a shower was considered a triumph.

But as one of my favorite sayings goes, “You either have the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong with doing what you must when life is hard, but if you continue that way for too long, it does catch up with you. I am feeling the effects of some of these. Nothing dramatic, mind you, but enough to know I need to do something different. I was inspired by a book I recently read, The Inflammation Spectrum by Dr. Will Cole. In a nutshell, the concept is to undergo an elimination diet for a short while to gain the knowledge of which foods cause inflammatory reactions in you.

I know how food plays a huge role in health. My son has a number of food allergies which required him to avoid most packaged and sugary foods as a young child. His immune system was incredible. He would bounce back after the flu, strep throat, or any number of typical childhood ailments with ease compared to classmates. I was diagnosed as an adult with an allergy to beef. Once I removed it from my diet, I no longer needed a daily inhaler, eyedrops, or allergy injections.

Therefore, it seems like giving this short term approach an attempt may be worth my while. Each day for four days, I will remove one food from my diet. I will continue to keep this out of my diet for four weeks. Then I will document if some symptoms of inflammation such as achy joins, swelling, brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, red and angry skin, throat clearing, etc. are reduced. This is the Core4 option. He also has an Elimin8 option with 8 foods. I know my limits, and I don’t want to set myself up for failure, so we’ll start with the Core4. The title of my blog is Adventures in Perfection — not Adventures in Crash and Burn, so I’m going to start small.

Listen. I love food. Seriously. I love to eat. Vegetables, meat, pastries, pasta, chocolate, pizza…..I want it all. And sodas are my vice. Scratch that. Caffeine in all its drinkable forms is my vice. But I don’t want to feel like crap, and I can’t keep trying to relive my college health habits. So here we are. Day 1. Gone are grains. It’s not a great day. I’ve been crazy productive, but I feel bleh. This afternoon my body was achy and it felt as if I was building the pressure of a migraine. Mind you, I haven’t had my migraine meds since last Wednesday thanks to my insurance company asking me to do a song and dance through hoops, but I digress…..point is, my head pressure is probably more to do with medication than grains. Is it really a great idea to undertake an elimination diet when you are not taking your regularly scheduled migraine medications? Undoubtedly not, but it should at least make for some interesting writing here.

No grains meant I could enjoy a candy bar when I had an overwhelming sweet tooth this evening, but that will end tomorrow. Speaking of which, tomorrow’s food elimination category may be the death of me. I just keep on telling myself I can do anything for four weeks. It’s just a month. And if it reduces inflammation resulting in feeling good and being healthier, even better. And you get to be along for the ride, because if I don’t blog about it, I won’t do it. Accountability matters — even if that’s accountability to myself and my writing.

Today’s food choices: smoothie with vanilla protein powder, blueberries, spinach, turmeric, and a banana. (It tasted really good, but it was an unappealing gray to look at in the blender.); Italian sausage and mashed potatoes leftovers; yogurt covered almonds and blueberries; deconstructed cheeseburger bowl (containing turkey burger, spinach, tomato, onion, provolone cheese, and mustard; coffee; red wine; water; chocolate bar.