So, it may seem like an obvious question, but here it is anyway: “Why ‘nutrition’ as a category for this health blog?”
Well, I’m a big believer in the old adage, ‘you are what you eat’, and have grown more and more involved in the world of food in the past few years, both out of genuine interest, and also out of necessity. Let me share a little of my own story with you:
Throughout 2010 and int0 2011, I lived and travelled in Asia. Much as I myself LOVED the experience (and especially enjoyed sampling the amazing variety of foods on offer in each place I visited), my stomach definitely did NOT love that period in my life, and decided to punish me constantly. What began as a little bit of bloating now and then became a daily battle with extreme uncontrollable bloating, stomach cramps, low energy, vomiting, muscle weakness, depressed mood swings – and we won’t even mention the random bowel issues…. I hit rock bottom when, during a trip to China, I vomited and then fainted right in front of around 1000 tourists, right in front of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Very attractive.
After moving to Australia in 2011, I decided enough was enough and that I had to find out what was causing my problems. That was 6 months ago and I am making a lot of progress, however am still not yet completely back to normal.
My first stop was an alternative health doctor, specialising in allergies and intolerances, who was recommended to me by some friends who’d has successful diagnoses and had seen all of their symptoms disappear within a fortnight of seeing this guy. “A year’s worth of problems, gone in 2 weeks?!” I thought. I had to give it a go. The consultation involved some aspects of kinesiology (tuning into the ‘energy’ of the body) – I was asked to place different foods in my hand, and then the doctor measured the strength of my muscles by asking me to push his arm (to see which foods caused my body and muscles to weaken). It seemed a little strange at first – especially as I felt no difference in strength with the first 20 or so foods that were placed in my hand. But just as I was beginning to feel cocky, and thinking that I was clearly some kind of medical marvel with no food a match for my superior muscle strength; I was faced with my now nemesis: wheat. The second that tiny piece of wheat was popped onto my skin, I was completely transformed – unable to cause the slightest movement in the doctor’s arm, no matter how hard I tried. “If that tiny piece of wheat on my hand can have that much of an effect, then just imagine what it’s doing to me when I put large amounts of it directly into my body” I thought.
In that same consultation, I also discovered I had a weakness to (drumroll please): garlic, onion, egg, cow’s milk, sulphites and preservatives.
I headed home feeling pretty damn depressed that I could no longer eat garlic bread or brie, whilst at the same time feeling elated that I had finally found the cause of ‘all of my problems’ and looking forward to being ‘free in a fortnight’.
To cut a long story short, I cut out all of the baddies in my diet, and began to see a slight improvement – mainly in my energy levels and (ahem) bowel movements… However, it was by no means the end of my journey, and after two long weeks, daily bloating was still a part of my life. I was sick of looking 6 months pregnant every single day, and feeling permanently uncomfortable (especially as I was only 26 years old and otherwise fit, healthy and slim), and so there began my constant quest to find out more about how the food we eat affects our bodies.
Through this blog, I’ll be sharing some of the (I think) really interesting things I’ve discovered so far, as well as giving more information as I find it.
In the last few months I been having regular visits to a ‘mainstream’ doctor -I’ve had blood samples taken (no cancer found – phew), ultrasounds (no problems with my kidneys, ovaries or uterus) and been given tablets to stop my stomach producing any acid (I’ve now stopped taking these as I’ve found that adjusting my food was far more beneficial than taking the tablets). After all of those tests, the doctor simply told me to “live with” the problem, and that some people are just digestively challenged – simple as that. All the doctors seemed to recommend was medication – there was no talk of nutrition or prevention, which saddened me. After fighting for it, I’m now booked in for a colonoscopy and gastroscopy (woohoo – sooo excited about those!! Not.) And as well as cutting out all of the food mentioned above, I’m now on a gluten free, highly alkaline diet, with no citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes or any fruit that comes in a can. I’m also supposed to avoid any spices or cocoa, but am mostly failing in that respect!
On a positive note, one of my biggest discoveries on this journey has been how much our bodies can benefit from eating a vegan diet. I am now completely vegan (I couldn’t eat eggs or dairy anymore anyway – so the only major thing left to cut out was meat/fish!) and feel fantastic about my decision, and my subsequent diet. I’m excited to share lots of vegan tips, advice, information and recipes through this blog too! I have also learned a lot about ‘food combining’ and have noticed a great deal of difference since I began eating foods in the right ‘combinations’ – I’ll also share information about that. To top it all off, I also drink no alcohol anymore (hoping I can re-introduce a little of it at some point!!) and only drink filtered or mineral water.
I’m now down to bloating just a couple of times a week, and not nearly as severely as I was previously; and I have a whole lot more energy. The times when I do get sick are usually also the times when I think “Screw it!” and eat something I know I’m not supposed to 😉
Going through all of these digestive struggles, I have met soooo many other people who suffer from similar (and also far worse) ailments, and have seen first hand how a change in diet can affect a person’s entire life. Even people who do not exhibit any ‘symptoms’ of ill health can vastly benefit from a greater understanding of the effect that the food they eat is having on their bodies and minds.
I have realised how important it is to really be aware of exactly what is going into the food that we are buying, and now check food labels carefully. Removing preservatives in my diet was particularly eye-opening – I had no idea so much rubbish was pumped into so many foods!!
I have also read a number of studies which have been conducted on the world’s longest living communities; and the links between the nutrition of those people and their general health and longevity are astounding. Examples and explorations will be shared here too.
I really believe that when it comes to health, prevention is better than cure. And I certainly think that food and nutrition is a very good place to start. If you would like to know how to prevent (or help to reverse) conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, skin conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, and many many other common ailments – then it is my sincere hope that the information contained in this blog can help you on your way to doing so.
Look forward to having you join me on this journey!
🙂
aliveandkickingat100 