FIRST, SOME BACKSTORY.
Ten years ago, when Slice and I were dating, engaged & newly married, I got really sick for a long time. After six months I finally went to the doctor, confident that I had Mono. He tested me for strep, it came back positive immediately, he gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way.
A few years later I felt sick again - I was having dizzy spells, my hair was falling out in handfuls, and I could barely drag myself out of bed in the morning. I went to the same doctor and had him check my thyroid. He was surprised by the results, hypothyroidism. He put me on a dose of Synthroid and sent me on my way.
Since then, I've been watching my thyroid die slowly. Every couple years (or, more likely, every pregnancy) I get bloodwork done and have to increase my Synthroid dose. I WAS diagnosed with Mono (i.e. Epstein-Barr virus) a few years ago, and I've had positive Strep tests every year. In the meantime, I did lots of reading. And I think it's all connected.
This leads me to ... the AutoImmune Protocol. I saw it mentioned many times over the course of my online research. The theory is that autoimmune disorders are caused by inflammation/imbalance in the gut, which is caused by our diets. Many people with autoimmune disorders report a reversal or relief from their symptoms after cutting the most inflammatory foods (gluten, sugar, dairy) out of their diet. To take it one step further, if we cut out ALL foods that can be harmful to the gut, restore gut health, and gradually reintroduce the harmful foods, then we can figure out what is causing the problem in our own bodies.
The AIP diet cuts out ALL grains, dairy, eggs, sugar, nuts and seeds (and many spices derived from those seeds). It also cuts out legumes (practically every form of bean) and nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, etc.).
The "yes" foods are fruits (in small amounts), non-nightshade vegetables, fermented foods, healthy fats (avocado, so much coconut), seafood, and meat (organic grass-fed when possible). Also honey and organic maple syrup, in very small amounts.
I've been wanting to try the diet for a long time, and finally bit the bullet in January. I'm shooting for 30 days in the elimination phase. AIP doesn't prescribe an elimination phase period, they just say "wait until you feel great!" before you start reintroducing stuff.
PREPARATION.
I bought the book The Healing Kitchen in January after going through a bunch of AIP cookbooks on Amazon and reading all the reviews. This one seemed like the most practical for me, since it includes meal plans, shopping lists and recipes "with 5 ingredients or less for people that hate the kitchen." Perfect!
Before I started, I ate like I was dying. Ice cream, pasta, my best homemade whole wheat muffins & waffles, cookies, wienerschnitzel and apple strudel from Siegfriend's. I ate so much that I was sick of it all, literally. Then we made a trip to Whole Foods and bought the weird foods that I couldn't get at my local stores. We were a sight to see - three grumpy children, me consulting my list and Slice looking for things that we'd never even heard of before.😐You can imagine.
Now I'm on Day 10, and feeling pretty good. Noticeable changes:
- Daily mild headaches (maybe not from the diet)
- A few days where I didn't need a nap
- One full day of upset stomach (again, could've been a bug and not the diet)
- Fewer regular stomachaches (I've been getting them after almost every meal for months)
- Breaking my sugar addiction! This is huge. I've relied on it physically and psychologically for so long
- Lifting of "brain fog" - this is hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it, but Hashimoto's often brings a brain fog that, to me, feels like depression. I don't always know that I'm in it, like a fish doesn't know it's in water. But it's real, and I feel like I may be climbing out of it.
Other notes: SOOOOOO MANY DISHES. I'm cooking 3-4 vegetables and at least 2 meats a day, in addition to feeding my family their normal foods because there's NO WAY they would all eat the way I'm eating. No way we could afford it, either. I have to shop a couple times a week, my fridge is always completely packed, and non-sugary desserts just don't seem like dessert. I like my treats, OK?! I've scoured Kaysville & Layton looking for carob powder (the chocolate substitute I can have), to no avail.
Gonna have to go back to Whole Foods.
