The Trifecta: when your worst food fears become reality.....week 1

Okay...so maybe that title is a bit dramatic....but I'm a foodie. And because of that, this week was pretty traumatic. Let me explain.

As most of you know from previous facebook or blog entries, a few weeks ago I decided to get food sensitivity testing done. While it's not a perfect science, and  lately the news has thrown up articles disputing the accuracy of these tests, I have seen so much anecdotal evidence through clients, colleagues and friends that I can't help but have faith in the testing. I've known many people for whom the results of the testing pointed them in a healthy direction and once they adjusted their diet accordingly, they felt a world of difference health wise. If someone feels they may suffer from a food sensitivity but chooses not to take these tests, they may instead opt to complete an elimination diet where they eliminate categories of foods from their diet for a period of time and then slowly re-introduce them and look for reactions.

While this type of 'test' can be effective, it can also be hard to do and it can still be quite a challenge to distinguish what specific foods are causing you grief. For me, because my symptoms have never been gastrointestinal or acute, and are more chronic and broad in scope I think accurately completing an elimination diet would be very difficult for me. I got the test done to give me a jump start to see what specific types of foods to eliminate right off the bat for a few months, and go from there. I thought hey - maybe I'll have to get rid of some weird foods like avocado and beets...I can TOTALLY do that. I figured, I managed to get rid of gluten no problem and that was a big one to do. I laughed that the only thing that would be tougher than going gluten-free would be eggs and dairy - that might just push me over the edge.

Fast forward to this past Thursday. My lovely Naturopath Dr. Erin Wiley calls and she asks me if I would like the results of my testing before or after Easter weekend. I could tell though that she had 'bad' news to share. So I replied....'you're not going to tell me I can't have dairy anymore are you?' kind of laughing at the thought....and her response? 'Not just dairy....' GREAT. AWESOME. FABULOUS.

And then I got the rest of the news - what did I react to? Well gluten I knew. When I ate it for the testing I was violently ill for 4 days afterwards; that was no surprise. But added to that list was cow's dairy...AND eggs. WTF.......really. Both. Not just one. That would be too easy right?

My daily food intake flashed in front of me:
Meal 1: egg and egg white omelette w/ cheese and veggies or oats w/ whey protein & egg whites or a smoothie w/ whey protein &/or greek yogurt
Post workout: oatmeal protein pancakes (made with egg whites and cottage cheese) or if in an emergency a protein bar
Meal 3: salad w/ meat
Meal 4: protein w/ veggies
Meal 5: greek yogurt w/ berries or frozen whey protein 'treat'

So there we have it. At least 60% of my staple meals. Done for. Scratched off my list. The convenience foods that I had brought into my life when I removed gluten were no longer convenient. And apparantely I'd been inconveniencing my body by eating them over the past couple of years. Hmph. I'll admit. I laughed and then cried one little tear - well maybe more than one but who's counting.

And then I was left with the choice that anyone who undertakes food sensitivity testing has. Forget I ever did it and continue doing what I've been doing because I don't feel 'awful' now. OR jump in with both feet and drastically alter the way I eat and make the plunge for the next 3 months to give my body a fair chance to react to the change I'm imposing on it.

I got brought back to when I decided to get rid of gluten. Sure - it sucked big time. I went into it thinking, this will be short term. I can't imagine it helping. But within 6 weeks, I was no longer anemic, vitamin B deficient or had elevated liver enzymes. My body didn't swell to the point where it hurt to wear clothes anymore. It was obviously the right choice for me. What if the way I feel now is still a far ways off from how I could feel? What if dairy and eggs are just like gluten to my insides? What if I can reduce the inflammation in my body to the point where my workouts are more effective? My headaches dissipate? My concentration improves? I have more energy? I eliminated gluten and it was tough at first, but in a short time I felt amazing and I've never looked back. So what do I do now? This one is tougher. Way tougher. But really? I feel like I owe myself this one.

So with that, I had my last cheesy-egg-y omelette and bid adieu to my good friends.

The last omelette. Goodbye old friend.

Bye bye dairy. Bye bye eggs.

The next 3 months I'll be posting regular installments about how the change is going. If I thought I was the irritating dinner companion before, now I get to see how it feels to be the person asking - is there any eggs, dairy or gluten in that? I'll finally know how it feels to eat steak for breakfast and goat yogurt with my lunch (I warn you, I have a feeling I'll start referring to it is gogurt....) I want all of you to hear from me first hand what it's like to make a major dietary change, because I know so many people who don't feel well, but are too overwhelmed or just are simply not motivated enough to make the changes - not because they don't want to, but because they don't know how good they can feel. I'm hoping to help lift the blanket of poor health off of me a little bit higher, and in turn help you lift it off of you - for whatever ailment you might be facing.....

The trifecta of food sensitivities has arrived.....let the journey begin.....