This is so exciting! I have so many unimportant things to say and most of them don’t seem to inspire a whole blog post. I’d love to be more interactive with all of you who somehow find your way to my page and come back for more (1600 times so far in the last couple of months). This will make it so much easier to share information, articles, and ideas with each other instead of just talking at you.
Here’s the temporary link. I need 25 likes to get my own URL and then I’ll be able to add a like box.
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/20-something-allergies-and-counting/211630042212481
:happy dance:
I do have two inspiring updates.
I have been craving FATS! This is the first time I have ever craved fats outside of baked goods or chocolate. That is hands-down confirmation that I am healing. Less than three months in, I have been able to pile them on with no side effects of that repugnant mouth feel, gagging, or nausea. I made chicken soup with carrot, turnip, peas, and …something else? and recognized the strong need for fat so added some curry powder to mine for flavor and a large pat of pastured butter. It.was.divine. The intense fat craving was only for a few days and has already waned, but I still feel like I want and need more fats now. My salt cravings have stabilized now also so no more electrolyte drinks or super heavily salted dishes. The Celtic Sea Salt still tastes amazing though. I also seem to be moving into the deisre for herbs and heavy, complex spices.
I’ve also been craving exercise. Fitness. Who craves that? My body is ready to detox in a whole new way. Since I’ve worked out quite a bit in the past in spurts and sputters, I know the muscle memory is there. I’m slowly dipping my toes in the water and seeing what happens. I tried a bit of belly dancing the other day and some calisthenics today – lunges, squats, incline push-ups on the stairs -. My body gets tired very quickly and needs extra rest, but it still feels good. That tells me I’m on the right path. Tip: if you want to see if you are interested/able/willing, try going very slowly. Especially if you are on GAPS or any healing program, you need to take baby steps to know if your body will tolerate it. You can try five push-ups leaning against a chair and ten squats or whatever works best for you. Stretch out and see you how feel for the rest of the day and the next. Better to take it slow than have any relapses. Plus, what we generally think of as exercise isn’t for everyone. Instead of muscle training, running, aerobics, etc., try vigorously scrubbing the floor or clean the house (or a room) as quickly as you can. Sprint to the end of your driveway to get the mail (or back so you can collapse when you get inside). Light a fire under your butt and chase your kids up into the bath…so you can sit down once you get there. 🙂 There are some different viewpoints that I’ve come across recently and I’m intrigued by them all. Chris Kesser of The Healthy Skeptic thinks we should move like our ancestors. Baden from the GAPS Guide shares some reasons why some people shouldn’t indulge. Mark Sisson from Mark’s Daily Apple believes in the paleo diet and short, explosive workouts. And then, I have a friend who’s training like mad to get ready for a bodybuilding competition. I think for now I fall somewhere between Chris, Baden, and Mark. It just depends on how I feel that moment, day, or week.
Katie has been having daily bellyaches and gas again. #@%$* Last week, I realized the digestive enzymes that Dr. Natasha recommends doesn’t say ‘no dairy’ in its list of things not included. Come to find out, there is only one vegan source of HCL and it’s by Premier Research Labs. I just need to figure out how to order them. I think it may have to be through our pediatrician, since the website requires a practitioner login. Drat. I know the enzymes were working well to digest the raw veggies and fruits she wants in copious amounts, so we’re on to something there. I also found this article on allergies and enzymes by Lita Lee Ph.D. and am very intrigued at how enzymes can work as a crutch as our bodies are healing. In addition, I ordered and received the kit for Katie’s Loomis 24-hour urinalysis. Her pediatrician doesn’t offer this particular one but was happy that I’m doing it and wants a copy of the report. She knows nothing of GAPS but leans toward the alternative and is quite supportive of all I do, including not vaccinating. She said the extended urine test is a mirror image or a shadow of a blood test and that a blood test is unnecessary and too invasive unless Katie has some serious health issues. I agree. Lita Lee also offers the test (as do others) with a consultation of the lab results and recommendations. I love the in-depth information she shares on the test results, but I prefer to spend less money on just the report, do my research, and then decide how to proceed. I’ll collect Katie’s urine for 24 hours within the next week and send a sample back to the lab for analysis. I’ll update on Facebook and then blog about it when I have comprehensive information to share.
There’s so much to say all of a sudden! The last thing I will mention is this article by The Center for Advanced Health on Eating Right for Your Blood Type. It has my brain abuzzin’ and feels like it may be another piece for our dietary/lifestyle puzzle, though not the whole solution.
So we’ve been pretty mundane in the day to day, but there are explosive things in the works. I can’t wait to see where everyone else is at in the coming weeks who are ‘newer’ to GAPS and at the beginning of this long road to health. I’m excited to see who else joins us on Facebook in the future that may be following different healing paths and protocols and have some new insight to share.
We’ve also been frequenting the farmer markets at least twice a week and can almost completely locally source our meats, eggs, dairy, and fruits/veggies right now. Love, love, love that.
Oh and a teensy, weensy note at the bottom to say I’m still cheating about once a week. It corresponds to my monthly cycle (whether ovulation or my flow) and emotional habits. So far – I’m happy to report -, it’s never worth it. Okay, the blueberry key lime scones from Cheeky Monkeys that taste like a cross with a cookie kinda were. that said, the food no longer tastes like my memory thinks it does. Yay!
4 Responses
Yay for progress! Boo for tummyaches! I have been giving Ellie 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar in water when she has a tummy ache and it helps a lot – fyi. The Eat Right for Your Type book is fascinating and definitely something you can apply as an extra layer onto GAPS. It was uncanny how many of the foods the book said Ellie's blood type should avoid were foods she reacted to. Like cantaloupe, for example. Go figure!
Annie, I have been trying to post on your blog since yesterday! I have had so much trouble posting for the last few weeks that I'm about to have Google or Blogger open a trouble ticket. I'll just post my response below 🙂 Thanks for the tip on the ACV. I was using too much when we tried it before. I'd love to do that instead of enzymes! I'll try it tomorrow before she has anything raw or if she has a bellyache and see how it helps. Now I'm super excited for the blood type angle! I guess it's next on my list of books to buy.(anyone who wants to see the original post can see it here http://babygaps.blogspot.com/2011/06/rough-week.html)!Again mama, I'm right there with you! The no coconut is a very hard one for me. There are too many places it is beneficial to not be able to use it! I try to remind myself that it's not native to the midwest so focus on local foods and medicines. It usually helps. Kind of. I want to start stage 1 intro right now so bad with Katie, but I just can't do it in the middle of summer with us frequenting and buying all our foods from the farmers markets. I'm tired of the bellyaches and the not feeling well and the endless cooking of trying to get out of the house for a couple of hours…and my kitchen after I cook enough for an outing. It's maddening. I feel like an awful mother when I tell her she can't have something just as much as I feel guilty when I tell her she can (fruits and raw foods are very hard for her little body right now but she's craving them like crazy like she should in the summer). Luckily today was a wonderful day, so I hope the hidden dairy in the HCL pills was the issue (I just blogged about it). Good luck! Good luck! Good luck!
Exciting stuff!!!! I love the stage for people where things start clicking like mad, coming together!International Nutrition (gapsdiet.com for folks in the US) compounds their own Betaine, so it should be dairy-free. Not totally sure, but might be worth checking out.
Clicking like mad is the perfect description Baden! It's amazing how much it spills over into everything. Katie's dentist was super happy with our diet so no dietary changes from him. I have some issues with my hip for the last few weeks – retracing? – and my chiropractor suggested extra antioxidents so just I'll just add a bit more of what I'm already doing! And no need to change my diet to lose these last few pounds, I just added exercise. Life is good. 🙂