Eating for Evolution

Alright… so I am 2 for 2… After realizing that I was sensitive to lemon I went back to Phase I for a few days to rebalance my system.  I was amazed at how good my body felt for those few days… and have to admit  I was a little hesitant to add in the Tamari soy sauce as I didn’t want to have another reaction.  But, alas, my curiosity won out and I added a little to sauteed veggies Friday night.  I felt alright until I had Tamari sauce over veggies for lunch yesterday.  By evening I was experiencing a state akin of depression and was feeling withdrawn, with no apparent reason, coupled with a high state of anxiety and pessimism.  Darn!  I was tempted to cook with it once more in the evening, but as soon as I even thought about adding it to my food I had a wave of nausea accompanied by a flash of body aches until I fully dismissed the idea and nourished myself without using the sauce.  My, how intelligent our body is!  After sharing my experience with a friend, I heard a voice gently reminding myself of Tom’s words of wisdom – when in doubt, leave it out.   I had a very restless night but by mid morning today my symptoms were gone and I was feeling well. 

With the realization of reacting to soy, I had a wave of frustration swoop in… having had an IGg test done a few months ago which rendered results that surprised even my practitioner, I was really hoping this elimination diet would help me filter what was accurate and inaccurate.  So far, it’s confirmed two suspect foods, which makes me a little apprehensive moving forward.  However, I guess it’s better to know than to just go off what the test results say, so have made the choice to move forward with the diet.  I am really hoping that if I can cut out what I am reactive to for the next few months I will have success reintroducing them later.  Admittedly, I have cut out quite a bit since the IGg test, but have not been super strict with it.  Having more of a baseline to work with – knowing how my body feels without the suspect food, and the way it responds to substances it doesn’t like – is more of an incentive to listening to its judgement about what is good for me, and what is not.

Lyndsey mentioned adding meat to her diet.  As a vegetarian, meat has not been something I’ve entertained.  But, I have added Pumpkin Seed protein powder to my daily diet to supplement my body’s desire for protein.  It’s definitely made a difference!

A highlight for me this week was sharing dinner with two fellow participants (one who started Phase I with me and another who started Phase I mid-way through the week this week).  Since one had just started and I was in a rebound period, we all agreed to do a ‘Phase I dinner’.  It was so much fun to unload an assortment of veggies on the counter and within an hour have a three course meal of soup, sauteed veggies with rice, and baked yam (which we counted as dessert).  To be able to enjoy one anothers company and share our experiences with the diet and food in general was a true blessing.  I am looking forward to our next meal together!

I’ve also really enjoyed the curiosity discussion of my experience has brought amongst friends both near and far.  I have benefited from their questions and underlying encouragement with the opportunity to support several through their own critical steps toward healthy eating.  In the past week I have been fortunate to celebrate as friends have shared with me their decision to make more conscious choices about food and/or to reduce/eliminate different foods from their dirt – coffee, wine, gluten, to name a few.  I was able to celebrate with a friend as he resumed portions of an elimination diet he’d given up on last month, and yet another who decided to join this elimination diet. Several friends have enquired about the cultured veggies and started culturing for themselves. What an inspiration each of them has been!  It’s been awesome to witness the many facets of this diet that extend far beyond the food!

Embracing the journey…