Over the previous couple of months, I’ve made a significant shift in my eating regimen—and (as I used to be stunned to find) it truly modified my life. I wished to share the story with you as a result of it’s taken me on a well being journey the place I’m studying a lot and feeling impressed to create and share so many new recipes with you. The massive change? I’ve stopped consuming grains. Sure, the lady who’s at all times been a pizza / sourdough / taco fanatic is not consuming wheat, corn, quinoa, or another kind of grain in any respect. Let me clarify.
Seems, consuming a grain-free eating regimen healed the intestine well being points which have affected me for the final decade. For years, I’ve been plagued with digestive points which have despatched me to numerous medical doctors and practitioners, and surprisingly, merely eradicating grains from my eating regimen eradicated all my signs inside days. So at this time, I’m going to share the largest modifications I’ve seen in my well being since going grain-free. My hope is that my story might assist a few of you by yourself well being journeys as a result of I consider all of us should be residing our most high-energy and vibrant lives.
First, watch the video beneath the place I stroll you thru my journey—I additionally get into a few of the “bonus” wholesome habits I’ve been incorporating day-after-day to really feel the very best I’ve felt in YEARS. Then, scroll on for a few of my high grain-free eating regimen and intestine well being learnings:
Grain-free eating regimen and intestine well being
If you understand me, you understand that a lot of my life revolves round meals. I’m a passionate prepare dinner, I like to eat, and I create recipe and meals content material for a residing. I’ve at all times preached the philosophy that there’s room for all the things in your eating regimen—and I nonetheless consider that—until these meals are stopping you from residing your most vibrant and energized life.
The ONE factor I’ve realized in my years of analysis about vitamin is that there isn’t any one-size matches all eating regimen. I need to be very clear from the start: Grains are usually not “unhealthy.” Pizza just isn’t “unhealthy.” Sourdough bread just isn’t “unhealthy.” That is all about how particular meals make you really feel, and I for one need to be consuming in a manner that helps my general well being. For my explicit digestive system — and I’m studying, loads of different individuals’s too — grains will be very laborious on the GI tract, and there are loads of hidden intolerances. This is a bit more all-encompassing than a gluten-free eating regimen, and it’s totally different than having celiac illness or a gluten-intolerance. Consuming “grain-free” means eliminating gluten and wheat, and in addition corn, oats, quinoa, rice, buckwheat, rye, amaranth, and barley.
Dr. William Davis says in his guide Tremendous Intestine (which I extremely suggest for anybody coping with unresolved digestive points):
“Wheat and grain elimination removes an extravagant supply of intestinal irritation and begins the method of therapeutic your GI tract. ”
He goes on to clarify:
Gliadin (a protein present in wheat) is straight poisonous to the intestinal wall. Eradicating gliadin thereby removes a potent bowel toxin. Gliadin additionally breaks down regular intestinal boundaries, permitting international substances, together with gliadin itself, entry into the bloodstream…
Simply as opioid medicine reminiscent of oxycodone and morphine trigger constipation, so do gliadin-derived opioids gradual intestinal peristalsis and trigger constipation. Slowed peristalsis is a significant concern in lots of circumstances of SIBO, and it may be reversed within the majority with wheat and grain elimination… Simply by eliminating all wheat and grains, many individuals report full aid or marked enchancment of bowel urgency, acid reflux disorder, heartburn, and constipation.”
My intestine well being historical past
One factor I haven’t shared loads about on the web (till now) is my long-standing intestine well being points. Sure, speaking about sluggish digestion and excessive bloating is private, however statistics present that almost half of girls wrestle with digestive points, so I believe it’s time we normalize these conversations.
I truly don’t know the trigger of my digestive points. After seeing practical medical doctors, GI medical doctors, and present process a number of testing—nobody has ever been capable of give me an precise prognosis (which is the case for most individuals affected by digestive points.) So like so a lot of you, I’m left to behave as my very own guinea pig and preserve trying to find one thing to assist me really feel higher. And let me let you know, I’ve tried some issues, together with:
- Mainly each complement and probiotic in the marketplace
- Intermittent fasting
- Meals combining
- At-home SIBO assessments
- Making my very own probiotic yogurt
- Colonics
- Hypnotherapy – sure, there may be truly a college of hypnotherapy that claims to have the ability to heal the gut-brain axis and once you examine it, it makes loads of sense, however it didn’t assist me.
- Tons of various elimination diets to see if it was a meals allergy (no gluten, dairy, lectins, meat, night time shades—however by no means reducing out all grains altogether).
Even in any case that, I nonetheless struggled with the identical points. I’d typically suppose that I discovered an answer after which I’d find yourself proper again the place I began, coping with the identical outdated points for weeks on finish.
What occurred once I stopped consuming grains
The answer got here throughout one in every of my worst bouts of steady bloating and sluggish digestion. I used to be re-reading Tremendous Intestine and got here to the road the place Dr. Davis mentioned, “Eradicating wheat and grains yields substantial enhancements in GI well being that support in your efforts to reverse dysbiosis, SIBO, and SIFO and regain general well being.”
Since I’d tried nearly all the things else, I figured, what did I’ve to lose? So, beginning that very day, I didn’t eat any grains in any respect. It might sound restrictive, however fortunately I really like so many issues that aren’t on this class: fruits, greens, cheese, olive oil, avocados, meat, fish, pasta made with chickpeas.
I used to be nonetheless consuming deliciously and abundantly, and right here’s the half that’s SO loopy I’d not have believed it if I hadn’t skilled it personally: inside 48 hours, my intestine well being points that had plagued me for over a decade had been utterly resolved. And stayed that manner. Over the following 3 months, I adopted my grain-free eating regimen and felt higher than I had in years. My power was sky excessive, I slept nice, I had a traditional urge for food as an alternative of feeling uncomfortably full on a regular basis, and my abdomen was flatter than I might ever keep in mind (regardless that I hadn’t truly misplaced weight.) I felt wonderful.
Will I ever eat grains once more?
The truthful reply is: I don’t know. Being the meals lover that I’m, I’ve tried reincorporating a few of my favorites. The very first thing I attempted was corn, as a result of, residing in Austin—tacos are life. Our household went out for Mexican, I ate some scrumptious corn tortillas, and… the following morning, my digestion was off. So I bought again on the grain-free wagon and inside a couple of day, I used to be again on observe.
The following factor I attempted—a number of bites of pizza, which I’m gonna admit, is my favourite meals. However once more, I awakened the following morning feeling the outdated bloat and I noticed that regardless of how good a number of bites of pizza tasted within the second, it wasn’t value it for me to really feel sluggish and gross all day. I liked the brand new manner that I used to be feeling SO MUCH, that giving up some meals, even meals that I liked, was 100% value it to really feel this good.
And that brings us to the current! I believe that I’ll attempt reintroducing grains sooner or later to see what occurs, however proper now I really feel so good, I’m gonna keep off grains for the foreseeable future. It’s necessary for me to transparently share my journey with you as a result of, though going grain-free might not work for everybody, I hope it might probably assist somebody. You probably have unresolved intestine points, why not attempt eliminating grains for per week and simply see how you are feeling?
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Our intestine well being has a large affect on our temper and power ranges, so taking time to determine what works on your physique is WORTH IT. And in the event you’re one of many many individuals additionally scuffling with intestine well being points, I promise that you just actually can really feel nice once more. Preserve on the lookout for solutions and experimenting till you discover what works for you.
Depart me a remark if this resonates—I’d love to listen to about your struggles on this space, what’s labored for you, and in the event you’d like to listen to extra about my grain-free journey! I’ve so many recipes and meal planning ideas for this fashion of consuming that I’d like to share.
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