Eating for Evolution

I continue to be amazed by the multiple levels of the elimination diet and the insight gained through the process.  This past week was no exception.  I had the strongest reaction yet, to nightshades.  Amazing what half a potato and two cherry tomatoes can do!  I had some physical symptoms immediately after eating them, but nothing that caused such discomfort that I immediately knew I was reactive.  It was a day and a half later that everything seemed to flare up.  I felt incredibly nauseous, had a headache, felt foggy and disconnected, and experienced a strong barrage of negative emotions/self-limiting beliefs that resulted in a sleepless night.  Intense!  I had suspected I might react which was why I went easy on what I ate, spreading it out over only two meals… but the intensity of the experience was beyond what I would have anticipated.

The plus side of the experience was that as I contemplated what it meant to have reacted to everything I’ve introduced thus far and what it means moving forward, I was overwhelmed with an acute sense that this body I inhabit does not belong to me.  It is a vessel for the energy that flows through it.  I am just the caretaker.  And as the caretaker, I am responsible for nourishing it and helping it to operate optimally; enabling it to facilitate and carry out the work it is meant to in this lifetime.  If that means going off of certain foods for a period of time, to allow it to cleanse deeper, that’s the least I can do. A humbling reminder, indeed!   

I did call on a dear friend to surprise me with dinner Friday night, as I was not going to get home to cook before starting a weekend retreat in the evening, and had hit the point where I definitely needed a little support, not to mention the opportunity to eat something different.  She made the most delicious elimination-diet-friendly-burrito that totally rocked this world – mixed greens, broccoli, beet, rice, and avocado wrapped in a teff tortilla shell.  Of course, the immense love that went into preparing it enhanced the flavor tremendously!

I continue to be in awe as I watch the parameters of this diet expand outward in a myriad of ways when people ask me about the diet and as I find the words (and confidence) to share my experience.  I find that I have had such a powerful experience that my natural response whenever the topic arises is to end by encouraging them to simply let me know if they decide to do this or another elimination diet.  In the last few days another friend contacted me to state her intent to start the diet within the next week…  a conscious and intentional step to break through the comfort zone she’s created around food.    

I realize that I still have not added tree nuts… nor any of the other known allergens that are suggested at the end of the elimination diet.  A really strong reaction I had Monday night has led me to the decision to visit a Naturopath to see about how I can best support the deep healing my GI tract is requesting at this time.  I have strong faith that with a little extra help my digestive tract will get the opportunity to heal and I’ll have better time reintroducing foods later.  So… the elimination diet continues for me.  I value the opportunity to continue to share the journey with others in the EFE community.

Grateful to know we are each on an incredible and deeply interlinked path of discovery and growth.  Thank you!

Humbled and inspired… thinking positive…