I think it is important to give a background on my diet and what got me to my current spot with different foods and how healthy eating and an awareness about my diet has changed my life and made me feel strong and healthy.
Through my life and growing up, I was raised to live pretty healthy. My mom was always pretty aware of the foods that she fed us had the most nutrients and paid close attention to certain foods that my brother and I didn’t tolerate, which for us was mostly dairy products. I think as a kid, you don’t always appreciate that and want to almost rebel and eat the junk food and not eat the healthy food. Growing up, I was not too picky and was pretty open to trying new things. As I grew older, my tastes changed and I was willing to try all sorts of things, like Brussels sprouts for instance. I would cook on and off while I lived at home through college. I will say it was a whole new world when I got married and needed to learn how to cook delicious meals. My husband was not picky by any means, but being newly married you wanted to prove you could make delicious meals. My husband jokes that I made a lot of chicken and rice. I did get better and utilized Pinterest and different cook books. I also had recipes from family members handed down as well. I became a pretty good cook and I felt pretty proud of myself for it.
After being married for 2 years (in 2012), I did notice some intolerance to some different foods, but I could not pinpoint exactly what it was. I noticed it a lot if we went out to eat and I wondered if it could be MSG related or if it indeed was an intolerance to something specific. I think I have always had a deep understanding of my body and what makes me feel good and what does not. I began to make a food journal of all the things I ate and I came to the conclusion that I did not tolerate gluten at this point. I noticed I would feel bloated, my asthma was worsened, and I would just feel tired. I cut out gluten in 2012-2013 and it made me feel so much better. I would like to say I was always great at not eating gluten, but the truth is, I cheated from time to time and there were times I thought, “I feel just fine and I don’t need to cut that out.”
I don’t think I became real serious about being gluten free until I was pregnant with my second son in 2017. I would feel so tired (I know I was pregnant), had no energy, and I would get upset stomach (also could have been morning sickness). But I tried cutting out the gluten again and it was so much better. All of those symptoms went away. I went the rest of my pregnancy feeling great and I had more energy. When my son was born, I was breastfeeding and he was an extremely fussy baby with loose stools. This made me consider giving up dairy to see if that would help (does not always need to happen, but being in the medical field, I though it was a good thing to try). I gave up dairy and soy and within about a month, he was so much better.
The caveat to this was that once he was weaning to solids and close to a year old, I tried to reintroduce dairy into my diet and I was unable to do. I would have fatigue, muscle aches, and upset stomach. I tried several times with goat cheese and yogurts with lower lactose content, but unable. I have found in recent years that when I do try an type of dairy (I have tried raw milk from our farmer) that I feel horrible and it takes me a week or so to feel back to normal.
With these different intolerances to foods, I have adapted a Paleo/Whole 30 diet and I truly feel that it has helped me feel my best. (I have not officially gotten tested for food intolerances, but I just avoided the foods that do not make me feel well). I avoid grains (I have tried rice or oats occasionally but often feel bloated, so I just avoid them), I don’t do dairy or soy, I have found corn to be a trigger for me, and I don’t do most legumes such as beans or peanuts. I will say I can do pea protein so that is a win to be able to have a daily shake mid-morning. This type of eating was definitely not easy to get used to or learn how to cook. I had to change my way of thinking and how I prepared my meals. I initially felt a little bit helpless about what I could eat and what was available. But with the research I did both on Pinterest and yes, Google, I found favorite recipes that me and my family learned to love.
Whenever I hear someone talk about a similar situation like mine, I find myself wanting to help them out and give them all the guidance that I can. I do get excited to share my favorite tips, tricks, and recipes in order to make someone else’s life easier. I have followed recipes from favorite bloggers such as Paleo Running Momma (I highly recommend looking up her recipes) or Danielle Walker, who has some amazing cookbooks. I have used their recipes or have adapted my own. My family and I have found our staple recipes that we like to have each week on repeat. People I know will sometimes feel bad I can not have certain food or treats, like at party or work function. I found myself telling them that it truly does not bother me anymore. I think it did years ago when I initially had to give certain foods up. But now, I really think my tastes have changed and I crave healthy food, which can be delicious too. I look forward in future posts to share my favorite recipes or meal prep ideas. I thought it was important first to give you my why: why do I eat this way and why I chose to do this to feel happy and healthier.