Update: Autoimmune Disease

If you have read the “About Me” section of this blog, you know I recently went to a nutritionist. They were great, though forking over the one-time cost of getting a food sensitivity test was unpleasant, but having answers is always great – even if they’re not great answers. So while she was running some holistic tests (no pricks, no pain, very easy!), where they check how the body reacts to different metals (or that was my understanding), she said it was quite clear that I have some sort of autoimmune disease.

Is there good news there? No, not really. However, I had no clue what that meant, and I’m sure she plans on telling me more about it in the next visit when I get my actual sensitivity results. So in the meantime, my friend Alex who is in love with and the most passionate person I know about how food impacts our bodies for the good and bad told me what to do. He had me start my B-12 vitamin, Rhodeola (which I got a pat on my back from my nutritionist for), and the introduction of more healthy fats to my diet. He also has a blog and is a phenomenal resource.

No one wants to admit that they have a disease, and if they do, it’s quite an adjustment to walking around just thinking you have another stomach ache while you chow down on your burger, fries, and milkshake, to now actually having to pay attention to what you eat. It’s no longer about looking great and overall feeling somewhat better; it’s about actual healing your body from the inside out. It became quite clear over the last week that I have ‘Leaky Gut’ which is by far the most disgusting name for a disease I can think of – but it is to the point. It is exactly what it sounds like. Your body is inflamed, making the pores of your intestinal lining more open and leaking toxins into your body. You feel bloated, swollen, tired, crabby, constipated, and possibly battle depression or achy joints. You’ll notice food not being digested wholly from solids in stool, or after eating something you suddenly feel 5 months pregnant. So the signs were clear.

After a few months of doing some of the things he as suggested, I went the complete opposite direction wanting to resist everything he would tell me I should be doing. Why? Because I’m a brat who doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact that I have a problem, and the only person who can make it better is me. Pills do not fix this, it’s 100% lifestyle adjustments. Finally, after having to swallow my pride and apologize for being a giant B (can I blame the depression and mood swings from my disease?), I gather my resources he has provided me and research intently. After all, if I’m going to do something 100% I like to have ALL of the facts I possibly can.

My major frustration in everything with nutrition is that everyone seems to have a different opinion. Why isn’t there ONE answer?! Oh yea, because I’ve said a million other times in this blog: WE’RE ALL BUILT DIFFERENTLY. So what does this mean for me? 30 days, one month, of being Paleo AIP (Paleo Autoimmune Protocol). You’ve probably heard of the Paleo Diet, but this is like the Paleo Diet’s big brother – we’re not messing around. Paleo is great for the people in their Cross fit (not me – I believe in grains and healthy eating! Not removing entire food groups! I run, we NEED carbs!), but AIP is just plain crazy. And by “crazy,” I mean 100% necessary.

When your body is inflamed and reacting to the “poison” you put in it, you don’t feel well. Unlike Paleo, AIP’s don’t get cheat days. The point of AIP is to remove all of the possible inflammatory for 30 days (it takes 30 days for your body to adjust/heal/something), and test what you can actual have in your diet. This is such an overwhelming thought, I can’t even tell you; hence my resistance to listen to my friend and actually give this a shot. His wife, who happens to be my best friend, did it. She might have even gone longer than the thirty days. But after years of being on over 15 medications for depression and other things, she is now prescription-free. Yes, that’s right, ZERO medications for that lady. She is my hero. That’s being self-aware if I’ve ever seen.

To be honest, if she hadn’t been my cheerleader and showed me that it’s possible, I would probably still be looking forward to my weekend “cheat day” burger. Yesterday afternoon I didn’t do much work, I did research. I wanted to cry… oh wait, I DID CRY. And then I got home and looked in my fridge to figure out what I could make instead of the chili I was so looking forward to having.

Here is a site that tells you what you CAN and CANNOT eat on AIP.

Here is the Paleo Diet. I’m giving you Wikipedia because everyone out there has a different opinion about the diet in general.

My recipes might be tweaked a bit for the next thirty days of blogging, but I promise to still incorporate the things that I cannot eat for you (while starring what those are for actual AIP go-ers). I had a DELICIOUS dinner, and breakfast, and snack, and I’m feeling BETTER. Only day 2, but feeling better, and I’m sure most of that is mental. So, here we go. 30 days of hell… I mean healing my body, getting happy, stable, and fully functioning! It is all about attitude after all.