(no subject)

[nisaa]

My month of experimenting with being wheat-free is nearly over. It's no longer an experiment, but a way of life. I feel SO much better.

Today, I went to Ben and Jerry's website to research the ingredients in some of my favorite flavors. Then I went to Ben and Jerry's and got two scoops of ice cream that didn't have any wheat in them. And my stomach didn't hurt after eating ice cream. The sad part? One of my favorite flavors is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. But Phish Food and Gobfather almost made up for it. I'm not going to have ice cream more often but it's good to know that I can digest it without pain if I'm careful.

Emotionally, I'm feeling better. I've been told that I don't stay angry as long and that I'm laughing more. I can forget to take my 5HTP once in a while and I'm ok.



This is hard for me to write, especially in a public forum, but I think it's important to note as part of the experiment.

I've had other issues come up this month. I had one terrible migraine which brought up emotional stuff from my past. And I had some really bad endometriosis pain last week for the first time in many, many months.

After talking to a few people, including one of my nutrition professors, I've concluded that the old issues are coming up because I've cut wheat out of my diet. If you've heard of the term "Healing Crisis," you know what I'm talking about. It's kind of like the idea that it gets worse before it gets better. Or, it's like I unlocked some of the hidden things inside me and let them out.

Overall though, I feel hopeful that these issues will work themselves out and that I will get better. On the Fourth of July, I'll go to a BBQ and I'll bring my own sprouted grain bread to put my hamburger on. Tonight I bought rice pasta. As long as these foods are accessible to me, giving up wheat won't be such a difficult thing.

Comments

[shavenwarthog.livejournal.com]

neat! My girlfriend and I found a new food friend today. We were at Hugo's in West Hollywood and when she wasn't scoping the hotty gay men, she enjoyed a beet salad. Beets and greens... and this weird super-tiny bead-like stuff. Tapioca? Corn? Couscous?

Nope: quinoa! Yes I've had this before but I never really knew what it was. It's great! I didnt realize it was so healthy, I'll have to go find some. I loooove rice and potatoes and bread but they reshape my figure too easily. Quinoa is my new friend.

thanks for posting your wheatless adventures, it's very interesting.

[mspunkrockstar.livejournal.com]

what is this 5HTP thing...? I keep hearing folks mention it........

[thorsbaby.livejournal.com]

5HTP is an over the counter suppliment that supplies your body with more building blocks to make serotonin. Serotonin is one of the balance chemicals that is associated with good feelings.

I find 5HTP helps prevent me from slipping into the small bouts of depression but thats about it. There are those that claim it helps with insomnia, reduce appetite, blah blah blah wonder drug. There are also those that say it did nothing for them.

Nissa, sharing some of this in so public a fashion shows your strength ans assures me you will be ok. Still, remember we all get by with a little help...

[rm.livejournal.com]

This "healing crisis" idea might be the best explanation I've yet heard for my whole emotional baby crazy thing that's been going on.

As for chocolate chip cookie dough -- you can do a reasonable facsimilie by mising Everybody Eats chocolate chip cookies (which are just odd on their own) into vanilla icecream. They are wheat, oat, gluten, corn, dairy, shellfish and nut free.

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard the term "Healing Crisis", but I've had EXACTLY that stuff happen to me - both as part of recovering from the whole corn-oriented illness and from losing weight. I am SO GLAD to hear that it's a phenomenon that other people have noticed!

And, if you want, you can avoid the whole bread thing by just having some kebabs...

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Thanks, thorsbaby :)

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I meant to talk with you about healing crisis. It makes sense because even though I've felt better than I can remember in ages, some bad stuff is coming up. The difference is now I feel like I have the strength to deal with it and like it's transitory.

I will look for the Everybody Eats cookies. Shellfish-free too? I don't think I've seen stuff that says that specifically, but it's great because I have a shellfish allergy. Thanks!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Oh then, you want to look at all their products -- they do bread and cereal and energy bars, etc -- all omitting those 7 allergans and the bakery is dedicated, so there's nothing on premises to contaminate.

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

I love quinoa!! You can get it for sure at Rainbow Acres. They even have quinoa pasta. I'm sure One Life must have some too.

(For anyone else reading, these are health food stores that are local the West LA/Santa Monica area. Just try your local health food store or Whole Foods).

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm glad I talked to other people about it to find out I wasn't alone.

I'll bring some sprouted bread just in case I really want a hamburger tomorrow!

[shavenwarthog.livejournal.com]

yum, thanks!

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

There is wheat in ice cream that has cookies mixed into it.

This website is the first that came up when I did a google search on Healing Crisis and it gives a good explanation of it:
http://www.falconblanco.com/health/crisis.htm

I don't know if you could avoid all three - but it must be possible.

[lisagw.livejournal.com]

Having been there and seen others there, I think that sometimes when you are in a better place physically, your whole body/mind/soul/whatever realizes that you are more able to deal with emotional pains that may have been buried. It's intriguing the ways that we protect ourselves sometimes.