Sometimes You Need a Reaction

I cheated on my gluten and dairy free diet, and I think the reaction is exactly what I needed.

I had deep dish pizza - two slices total.  A slice and a half for dinner and then a half of a slice while standing at the fridge later that evening.

I immediately felt bloated and exhausted. Isn't it funny how although I felt immediate bloating and exhaustion a couple of hours later I finished off the slice that was taunting me from the refrigerator? Shortly thereafter I developed an awful rash on the side of my torso and spent yesterday nursing a terrible sinus headache.

The rash was an obvious outward sign.  I reached out to all of my go-to message boards and the consensus was the pizza being the culprit. I reached out to my acupuncturist and she was in consensus that the rash was most likely caused by my body reacting to either the gluten, dairy or both. BUT HOW? I had never had such an obvious outward reaction before.

She explained it as feeling bad all of the time and then eating something you do not tolerate well and you won't feel any worse than you already do.  If you feel good, then eat something you do not tolerate well and its like going from 0 to 1000 on the scale of feeling bad. The degree of inflammation is that much greater.

The more I think of it... the refrigerator tantrum I had yesterday morning could very well have been a gluten/dairy induced tantrum.

I guess you can say, sometimes you need a reaction.  My reaction was a good lesson in avoiding the temptation because the repercussions are not worth it.

Life Sans Gluten and Dairy

isn't easy, but has not been nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.  Then again its only been two weeks.  

The Good 

I feel amazing. To the extent that my husband questioned if I was "on something". My energy levels are much higher.  I am much less lethargic.  I feel more rested and have less of a difficulty "rising and shining" in the morning. I do not feel weighed down. The stomach bloating has almost disappeared. However, yesterday I did experience some mild stomach bloating, but I also went out to lunch and who knows if what I consumed was truly GF/DF.  My brain is functioning much "clearer". I am much less irritable and anxious. I have also noticed a drastic decrease in the carb/sugar cravings I have always been plagued with.  

My progress has been almost perfect.  I have not eliminated grass fed butter and I am unsure if I will.  It doesn't seem to affect me the way full dairy products do as butters are majority fat. I did purchase a coconut based "butter" that I am going to give a whirl.  I have even made it through a few social events without fail. 

The Bad

I miss cheese.  I miss cheese.  I miss cheese.  This has been by far the most difficult thing to say goodbye to.  I purchased a spreadable vegan cheese made of cashews at Whole Foods this morning.  I am hoping it takes the edge off.  I miss cheese. 

I also find myself eating a bit more packaged/convenience food than before. I think this is mainly because of my lack of experience with this new diet. I hope to eliminate some of the convenience foods once I become more accustomed to eating sans gluten and dairy. I am doing the best I can at the moment.  

Eating out is proving to be a nightmare.  I become extremely anxious just thinking about finding something without gluten and dairy.  We walked out of Sweet Tomatoes because I was overwhelmed.  I went out to lunch with a friend yesterday for Chinese (I know, that was a mistake) and I was assured the food I was eating was gluten and dairy free, but my stomach that evening told me otherwise.  Frustrating. 

Conclusion

I plan on continuing sans gluten and dairy for a couple of reasons.  I haven't felt better in quite some time and my genetic predisposition (compound heterozygous MTHFR and family history) to auto-immune disorders. It would be much more difficult to continue these drastic changes if I didn't feel a difference. Thankfully, I feel a huge difference and hopefully that difference keeps me going!