We have all had that one relationship that we thought would last forever, but thankfully didn't. You know the one that made you say, "What was I thinking?!" While you were in the relationship you didn't listen to your friends warnings or even care to hear what they had to say. Everyone was wrong, they just had to be....not him he wouldn't do that to me!!
I've been there, done that, have the t-shirt and I know I'm not alone. Sometimes our relationship with food is very similar to this scenario. Everyday I see posts on Facebook from friends who have constant headaches, stomach issues, or their kids are. It's sad to see those posts day after day and read about the doctors not finding explanation for their problems. What if the answer was just as simple as evaluating our diets? I've read that most kids who have tubes put in their ears constantly, have issues with dairy. Headaches, psoriasis, acne, ear aches, canker sores, can all be cause by food sensitivities. It's crazy the lengths we are able to go to, just to find a cure for these ailments. Much like a bad relationship we put ourselves through biopsys, scans, scrape tests, shots, pills and don't forget the side effects. Why not try to eliminate a few of the most common allergens and see if it helps your ailments? What do you have to lose? Your headaches??
For me this had relieved all of those issues and maybe it could help you. My dear friend Candi told me last April that she was going vegetarian. First thought..."Are you nuts?" But I love this girl to death and decided to be supportive of her, so I listened instead of judging. I thought it wasn't for me but obviously people haven't died from being vegetarian. She told me about a book she was reading called The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Then she suggested a movie that she just watched called Food Inc. These two things changed my perspective on a lot of things! Instead of pushing off my friend's advice for helping with my allergies and headaches, I listened.
Candi told me that she had just found out she is allergic to dairy and possibly had celiac disease. I never promised I would join her, I just listened. Like I said it wasn't for me, but it did make me think deeply when Alicia talked about the allergy shots, pills, acne, psoriasis and how they cleared up on her vegetarian diet. Then in May I became really ill with a middle ear infection. This sickness forever changed my body with the course of steroids they put me on. I haven't been the same since and was ill for a few months before I took Candi's advice and cut it out of my diet as a trial. What could it hurt right?
The plan was to avoid just dairy for a week. Seven days is not that long I can make it! Two days in I was having really bad withdrawals but I wasn't sure if I was feeling better. I thought this is stupid why am I doing this? My husband said well lets go eat burritos and then get ice cream if you get sick then you know. So I got a burrito with tons of sour cream, beans with cheese, and had some ice cream to celebrate! Within forty five minutes I was having a sneeze attach, followed by a stomach ache, and then finally my stomach was so swollen I looked five months pregnant. All it took was two days rest from dairy to show me what would really happen once I ingested an allergen. Surprisingly I was thankful I listened to my friend.
I began to cut out dairy without being tested for allergies, I had enough of a reaction to stop my love affair. It's funny how you change once you realize how bad your relationship truly is. I'm still suffering from my wheat affair on Sunday. Seventeen days into this gluten free experience with only one cheat day and four days later I'm still recovering! That is the last time I will find the need to indulge, even in a situation where it means I watch everyone else eat. Candi and I were just talking about how refreshing it is to know we aren't the only ones going through this. It can feel overwhelming at times but you have to put a support system in place. Just like a bad breakup YOU WILL experience every emotion possible while detoxing from your allergens. And once you've made it to the other side you will NEVER look back!
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