Where I admit that I am a hypocrit.

I'm kind of putting my foot in my mouth after my last post...but I have no problem admitting I was wrong or that I've changed my mind. I've always been leery of fad diets and diets that restrict too many things because I love food, so it sounds too painful to eliminate things. I do still think a whole foods diet is ideal, but I'm starting to evolve how I think about food. I'm currently trying out an elimination diet.

A little background info - I've been a lifelong sufferer of allergies and asthma. Since my second pregnancy, my asthma symptoms have actually been worse despite losing a lot of weight and becoming a distance runner. I take two daily prescriptions for asthma, carry a rescue inhaler, yet I still have occasional asthma attacks (I also take two allergy medications daily). My current allergy/asthma doctor, who I really like, tends to be a bit of a drug pusher, but he always has tons of ideas for eliminating allergy/asthma triggers in my environment. He recently suggested putting me on my 3rd course of prednisone in less than 6 months. Ugh! Prednisone is a great drug - but it is also a powerful one with a ton of nasty side effects. He also suggested that I evaluate my diet and see if there are foods I am regularly ingesting that may be making my asthma/allergy symptoms worse with the suggestion I cut out gluten as it can help with the kinds of symptoms I have. I started to read the book Wheat Belly about gluten and wheat. It is a fascinating book with a ton of information about the evolution of wheat and grains in the American diet. I also heard about the Whole30 plan.

So last week I began the Whole30 cleanse. It's a take off of the paleo diet with the idea being that you eliminate all the major foods that can cause autoimmune issues, bloating, digestive issues, etc. With this plan you go 30 days without consuming dairy, alcohol, sugar, wheat/gluten, and any kind of grain. So basically you can have eggs, meat, fruit, veggies, and nuts (except no legumes like peanuts). Sounds restrictive, right? I've actually been finding that there are a ton of food options within those limits. I'm cooking a lot and trying new foods, and I'm enjoying meats I don't usually eat (like lamb and sausage). After the 30 days are up, you can start introducing one banned substance at a time to see what causes a trigger (headache, bloating, gas, congestion, or just a general blah feeling) and then you know what your body may not agree with.

I'm on day 6 and I feel pretty great. Within 2 days I noticed that my chronic sinus congestion and post nasal drip that I've suffered for over 15 years has lessened. I haven't had the bloating gas and stomach discomfort that I often would get, and I feel like my breathing is a bit better. I also feel like I'm eating a lot, so that is nice. I still crave sugar and carbs a bit, but I've stayed strong and stuck to the plan. I am a huge dairy lover, yet strangely I haven't craved any dairy products yet. I'm also a drinker (a beer or glass of wine with dinner kind of gal) but I've been fine without alcohol thus far (thank you Soda Stream for allowing me carbonated water instead!)

I don't think I'll eat like this forever, especially since the baker in me cannot live without an occasional baked treat, but it is changing my opinion on food. It does require a lot more planning and cooking. If it turns out that dairy and/or gluten are my autoimmune triggers that are giving me worse allergy/asthma symptoms, then I will likely really carefully moderate those foods in my diet because the benefits I'm feeling without those foods is worth the effort.