Big Personal Health and Diet Update!

I’ve been a little MIA recently, but that’s what happens when I’m on vacation, I’ve had a month full of appointments and dance classes, and I go back to school in less than a week.  My summers usually end up like this, being incredibly busy the last few weeks of summer from trying to fit every last-minute errand and activity.  Still though, where has it gone?  I can’t believe I’m going to be starting my sophomore year of college already! 


Anyways, reminiscing aside, the appointments I’ve had this August have actually been really beneficial and I think we’re making progress on adjusting my hormonal issues.  I haven’t explained this much before, but this summer, my mom and I went on a quest of sorts to discover a treatment that would help me get my period and energy back.  I only had my period about three times, four years ago.  I am also constantly tired!  I strongly advocate for enough sleep, but as a young adult it would be nicer if I could stay up past 9 pm.  These symptoms pointed to problems related to the endocrine system, but for years I have been seeking the solution through western medicine and nothing helped.  My normal doctors still think birth control and gaining weight is the only solution.  So this summer I started seeing an acupuncturist who works out of her home.  She practices Eastern medicine techniques, such as body feedback, or muscle testing.  Muscle testing has helped me figure out the supplements that work for me.  I must say, I don’t think I ever believed so much in Eastern medicine until I started to feel my own body feedback.  When a supplement, medication, or essential oil is placed onto my abdomen, I can feel right away how my body reacts by a tensing or release of my shoulder and neck muscles.  I trust this method for choosing the right supplements for me because I trust my own body. Unlike previous doctors’ proposals, I don’t have to grind away at a “guess and check” kind of process.  When I can feel real physical tension as a reaction to a supplement, I trust that my body doesn’t want it.  There’s no more guessing games anymore with my supplements, and I’m really grateful.

My acupuncturist also analyzed my DNA test and ALCAT food test results.  It turns out that there’s one part of my DNA that is all wacky, and it has to do with the neurotransmitter glutamate.  Apparently my body stores excess glutamate and cannot make any conversions between glutamine or GABA.  I wish I knew more, but to be honest only my acupuncturist can explain it in a way that makes sense.  DNA is extremely complicated and there are so many details about my DNA that I can’t recall on my own.

My ALCAT food test results were also quite interesting.  I discovered that I’m severely intolerant to amaranth, asparagus, rice, and brewer’s yeast (in vinegars and fermented products).  It’s suggested that I never have those foods ever again.  I’m okay with that, because it’s not a very long, significant, life-changing list.  However, for three to six months my acupuncturist has suggested that I eliminate the foods on my moderately intolerant list.  This will be a bit trickier.  Both coconut and almond are on that list, which doesn’t surprise me, because I eat so much of both.  But that’s going to be really hard to eliminate.  So many paleo and healthy products have coconut and/or almond as main ingredients.  Besides coconut and almond, we discovered I am moderaly intolerant to canola oil as well, which makes any impromptu dinner outings at any restaurants that aren’t hard on a college budget out of question.  I’m not sure what to do yet about restaurants, but I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.  A fourth tricky intolerance is soy lecithin.  When I’m not looking for paleo products in order to avoid coconut and almond, almost everything contains soy lecithin!  Additional things on my moderately intolerant list include apples, beef, blackberries, black-eyed peas, broccoli, button mushrooms, cantaloupe, cayenne pepper, coffee, flaxseed, oats, pistachios, safflower, tomatoes, and white potatoes.  This is definitely going to change the trend of my recipe creations, and hopefully my health for the better.  However, I am still planning to cook healthy and wholesome for the sake of all my blog readers out there.  I did create Bananasoupforthesoul to share college-friendly recipes for people who follow dietary restrictions. 

I would like to remain as paleo as possible.  However, my college has desperately and inconveniently changed its food plan a week before school starts, so I cannot buy groceries with my food plan anymore. A lot of things have changed. There are more changes I will have to get comfortable with. I really don’t know what this next semester is going to be like; but I guess we’ll see.  Not to worry: I’ll keep the blog updated...because I’m sure I’m going to make some interesting discoveries following my new diet!