
Or at least I will be finished as of Thursday. Not only did I do the Whole30 but I cut out all the foods for the autoimmune protocal as well. In addition to no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, I also eliminated all seeds, all night shades, and eggs. I even gave up coffee - I don't drink a lot of coffee but I was very attached to my two cups each morning.
Why?
Pain.
I had done really well with a gluten-free diet for over a year. I think I had one donut during our summer vacation on Cape Cod. But this past Christmas I indulged in a bagel and just wasn't feeling well. Then I developed a tendonitis in my left arm - too much knitting? too much floor scrubbing getting ready for the holidays? I don't know but the pain and ache were sticking around. I bought the book It Starts with Food and little bells started going off in my head. I had already gone gluten-free to help with hypothryoidism - which did help - I lost over 20 pounds. But it made sense to me to see if there were other foods that might be triggers and I was still struggling with energy issues.
One of the interesting things about the autoimmune protocol is that it is recommended to not take any NSAID's - guess what I was taking for my elbow? A NSAID. It wasn't helping much so I stopped taking it. I would say that by day 10 of the Whole30, the elbow pain was very much reduced and while I still feel I need to be careful to not to do too much - I don't feel limited - I can knit without pain, pick up a tea kettle, take the laundry out of the washer without feeling that immediate OUCH!
I've noticed other little things too. I was out with the boys exploring the stream near our home and I felt much more sure in my footing. I had jumped across a small section and realized - WOW - a month ago I don't know that I would have dared.
It's been worth the trouble and I am very excited to start adding foods back in this Friday! I am going to try yogurt - a smoothie in the morning and then a carrot soup on Friday. Exciting stuff.
