I alluded to a month long diet Bryan and I are doing in my previous post, but I haven't followed up until now because I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say.
We have known for some time that something odd was up with me. I've been constantly exhausted, excessively moody, gaining weight, and having so much trouble with my menstrual cycles, and Bryan has experienced an increase anxiety and irritability over the last year or so.
My primary care physician and an endocrinologist were unable to help me. I was so frustrated I considered seeing a psychologist, because I was beginning to think it was all in my head. Before doing that, Bryan decided that we would both go to see Dr. McManus at
The Woodlands' Institute of Health and Wellness. This office is a rather unconventional place in modern medicine because they focus on the root cause of symptoms versus throwing medication at what hurts and doesn't work. It reminds me distinctly of the positive experiences I've had with our chiropractor and midwife. I firmly believe there is a time and place for prescription medications and modern medical advances, but I also recognize that people have become MORE ill and MORE sick the more we are treated. We decided this was the route we wanted to try.
After having been told my multiple doctors that we were fine, just out of shape, we have since learned through The Woodland's Institute that:
- I have a borderline case of
Hashimoto's and Bryan has a full case. We are now going to basically be a wheat-and-gluten free family.
- I have a high allergy to cow milk, goat milk, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and
casein (the protein in most dairy), as well as moderate allergies to whey and eggs. We will be minimizing these foods.
Had we known about these issues years ago, we would not be in the condition we are in now.
In order to change up our diet to make us feel better we are completing a 28 day
Yeast-Free (dairy free, grain free, sugar free) diet, as well as taking anti-yeast medications for the duration of the diet to kill off the yeast. The problem with yeast is that it makes itself so at home in the digestive system that other vital nutrients can't do their job because they are blocked. We will get rid of the yeast overgrowth, continue to take probiotics as well as drastically reduce the amount of sugar our family consumes in the future. We are also taking supplements such as cortisone, BH12, iodine, progesterone (in my case), as well as a few others, to try to increase the amount of those essential nutrients as we break through the wall of yeast.
Today we are on
Day 6(!), and other than one accidental mess up, we have not cheated and are starting to experience changes.
We are eating lots of protein (shredded salsa/green chili chicken, venison chili, egg and sausage scramble, seasoned pulled pork, bean noodles with homemade meatballs and sauce), as well as a large number of veggies (greens, zucchini, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) and healthy fats (such as butter, olive & coconut oil, nuts and seeds). We are discovering new foods that we like, and starting to realize that some of the foods we did like don't sound as appealing as our addiction to sugar is slowly being negated (pretty cool, eh?).
The first 2 weeks of our Month of Doom (as we've nicknamed this cleanse) are fruit-free, but starting on Day 15 we can add some berries and a few other fruit (apples, cantaloupe) back into our diet (thank goodness - I love fruit).
What about the kids? Well, we are not doing this program with them as strictly as we have to, but their addiction to sugar is slowly being addressed as well. It's been 6 days since they've had any goldfish or fig nutons in our house. They are learning to snack on fruit and peanut butter on veggies or gluton free pita, and Clara has embraced sweet potato "chips" while Emma has discovered an enjoyment of nuts and seeds. We still have them drinking milk (although it's more and more almond or coconut milk), and they can still have yogurt, although the makeup of the yogurt they can have has changed. They are still allowed to have some fruit juice (it keeps them pooping regularly, which we appreciate). So it's not perfect with them, but they are learning to like more things, even though they've been rather resistant to the changes. In case you were wondering, yes, they both still REALLY love popcorn chicken.
We are experiencing some "die off" symptoms - fatigue, sweating, headaches, irritability (it's hard to give up lots of our favorite foods!), but those are changing too, and before we know it, we will be happy with the changes that are taking place.
I would be happy to give you more information about what we are doing and why if you wanted it, and I'll update you on how it's going in another week or so. Who knows? Maybe - JUST maybe - I will like avocado by the end of this month (unlikely, but maybe! hehe).
If you would like to pray for us during this month, we would appreciate prayers for patience as we learn to cook and try new things, prayers for commitment and perseverance as we are tempted to eat things not on the plan, and most of all, prayers that this is a successful experience for us so that we feel better and are willing to take our nutrition into our own hands at the end!
