But there is always room for afternoon tea...
Changing Habits
Once I realised that my MS was in downward spiral I started to research things I could do to help my situation and improve my disease progression. One of the first things I read was removing gluten, dairy and processed sugar from my diet. As someone who is a major chocoholic and cake lover this was a big blow. I didn't want to change my diet, I loved the foods I ate and I luckily never really struggled with weight gain BUT my IBS had got worse over the last few years and if I wanted to my body to be its absolute best then I had to change my diet.
That moment when you realise nearly everything has gluten, dairy and sugar in!
This wasn't an easy task, it's really hard to change your habits and initially when I tried, I just cut out everything and it was depressing and as someone who enjoys food it wasn't good for my well being so I gave up pretty quickly. I think initially I tried reading the Wahls Protocol book but that was way too much for me. With a husband and four teenage boys in the house this wasn't going to be an option I don't have time to cook a separate meal for myself and then have it alongside something tasty they are having. Plus it's really expensive to live your life that way (and dull!). I then tried Paleo diet but I am small, I don't do well when I don't have my three meals a day I get lightheaded especially as I exercise lots so again, my time with Paleo was short lived. I also can't eat much fruit - the natural sugars just bloat my stomach so I needed to find a way to improve my diet without it being too restrictive and allowed us to still only cook one family meal.
I think it took me another year to really get focused on what I was putting into my body and my approach today is that I stick to avoiding those three key things 97% of the time. Allowing myself to still enjoy an afternoon tea with my girl friends or my husband or have the occasional Chinese takeaway or a meal out when there are no other options is okay, it's good for my mindset and it also means I stick to it more easily as I know I can break the rules on the odd occasion. I was really amazed when I started looking at food as sugar and gluten are added to so many things. For example, I once picked up a pack of smoked salmon cuttings and for some reason thought I best check, and OMG they add sugar to it!! You would never expect that so now I spend my life checking every label. We mainly cook fresh foods and make our bolognese and chilli from scratch but we do sometimes use jars or sachets. Thankfully the world does seem to be acknowledging that we don't need sugar added to everything and there are now jars like Loyd Grossman Sweet n Sour Sauce No Added Sugar which definitely helps if you are making a quick family meal (and believe me we don't have hours to spend cooking so most of our meals are quick ones as we have busy lives)
It's amazing how much better you feel without gluten, dairy and sugar in your diet - everyone should try it!
I can't remember how long it took but I know for a fact my body thanks for me this new diet - I have more energy, I rarely get sick (although my high intake of vitamin D3 definitely contributes to that - more on that in another post) and I just feel better for it. Sugar is addictive, I don't think people realise that they are actually addicted to it. I was but probably nowhere near as bad as some people as I've always had good self-control and can make a box of chocolates last a week if I want to and can happily just have one biscuit and leave the pack alone. It is possible to knock that addiction on the head and anyone can do (I would love my husband, son and stepsons to try it but unlikely as they are all addicted!). The first week or so is hard, much of our 'hunger' and I say it like that as we aren't really hungry but our body is craving food because that's what sugar and processed food does to you. After a couple of weeks, I realised I was snacking less and not feeling hungry. I eat 3 meals a day and if I do want a snack I typically go for my 'sweet potato crackers' which are super tasty or one of my gluten, vegan, no added sugar snacks (I will do another post on my best buys). I don't drink coffee and on the rare occasions when I have tea - it's black Earl Grey only with no sugar, and I hate cheese so cutting dairy was easy I just replaced my milk with Unsweetened Alpro Almond Milk. I basically drink water and now on occasion I will have a glass of another great find - wine with no added sugar!! Yes I can drink alcohol (happy George) and not feel bad. I still don't drink very often as I recall a consultant summing it up well 'alcohol is like poison for your body and even more so if you have an auto-immune disease!
We want our bodies to last and therefore we have to face facts, 'we are what we eat' and if you want to feel great every day and no longer feel tired constantly without a perk up, constantly hungry and get sick often then you really need to consider what you are putting into your body and just try and make a change and see after a month or so if you feel better for it. You may also need to check your vitamin levels as you may be deficient and it's amazing how many of us are. I am not a nutritionist and have no experience in this area but I do know how much better my body is for significantly reducing those foods in my diet. I've not had a relapse since late 2017 and I don't know why that is but I will keep doing the things I do and hope that everything stays as it is or improves.
It must be highly frustrating for vegans who are also gluten free!
And remember don't make it a jail sentence, stick to it for 95%+ and allow yourself the odd treat. We went out for dinner recently to a fantastic local pub and although they said they can cater to dietary needs it was only a small menu and nothing on it said GF / Vegan etc... and whilst we were making our minds up the waitress walked passed our table with a bread board and all of a sudden I wanted bread (I rarely eat bread, to be honest I rarely ate it prior to gutting gluten out so it wasn't a big deal to me. I will have gluten if on offer but it's nowhere near as good as normal bread). So, I made the decision I was just going to have all three courses and not worry about it. This meant I got to enjoy and amazing dessert too - I have to say it is extremely frustrating that the majority of restaurants don't cater their desserts for GF & Vegans so you can get one or the other but rarely both. I imagine being a vegan who is gluten free is a nightmare and for celiacs as even supermarkets are really bad at this. Personally I can see why they just don't make gluten free desserts dairy free and vegan desserts gluten free and then it caters for both. Simple!
You do find that once you've eliminated these foods you no longer crave them and therefore it becomes easier and easier and actually because you feel great you don't want to have them. You can also feel worse after eating them, so I prepare myself for that. This weekend we are going for a festive afternoon at Oakley Hall - they do cater for GF and Vegan but I've tried those options before in other places and have always been disappointed as it feels like they've just thrown something together and when you are paying £30 for the experience you want it to be amazing. So, I've learnt just to go with the standard afternoon tea but still avoiding cheese as seriously that's the devils food (so gross!!)
My lovely friend has recently qualified as a nutritionist so if you are local to Hampshire and would like to change the way you eat but would like professional then please try her as I am sure she will be amazing and improve your life - Jeanette - website and Facebook
Please share your experiences with me in the comment section.
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