Paleo Beginnings

As I began to tell my naturopath a little about my symptoms, she showed deep concern

for my health, and suggested that I immediately start on an Autoimmune Protocol Diet.

This diet cuts out foods that commonly cause inflammation in the body. My most

immediate thought is why has no other doctor ever suggested something as simple as

changing my diet?

The closest well known diet to the Autoimmune Protocol Diet is called a Paleo diet. This diet includes eating foods similar to what might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era, which dates from approximately 10,000 years ago. The philosophy behind this diet is that the human body is genetically mismatched to the modern diet that has emerged. A Paleo diet typically includes grass fed meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds - the foods that in the past could be obtained by hunting and gathering. A Paleo diet limits foods such as dairy products, legumes, sugar, and grains while completely eliminating anything processed. This diet has been proven to improve weight loss, glucose tolerance, blood pressure, heart health, and appetite management.

The only difference between the Autoimmune Protocol Diet and the Paleo diet is that

additionally, you do not eat nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers,

eggplant, gogi berries, chilis, tobacco, potatoes, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper,

chili powder, and paprika. These vegetables are called nightshades because they

bloom at night, and they contain harmful substances called alkaloids that can contribute

to inflammation. This inflammation can cause serious pain in the body of a person who

like me, has a weak stomach or autoimmune disease.

The first few days of switching to this diet were extremely tough for me. Though I ate

relatively healthy already, I consumed too many carbs and sugars, and was eating

nightshades such as bell pepper, eggplant, tomatoes, and spicy peppers with almost

every meal. I was the kind of girl that put hot sauce on everything.

The weekend that I started the Auto-Immune Protocol Diet diet, I was dog-sitting at a family friend’s house that lived quite a ways out of town. On the first day of dog-sitting we just so happened to have a major snow storm and ultimately I was stuck inside, alone, the whole weekend, with no way to make it to a restaurant or a grocery store. I decided that with limited access to inflammation causing foods for the immediate future, it was the perfect time to eliminate the “bad” foods cold turkey. To recap, this meant cutting out all grains (rice, flour, quinoa, corn meal), all cane and processed sugars, as well as anything processed with chemicals or preservatives, and all nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, gogi berries, chilis, tobacco, potatoes, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder and paprika).

When your body is used to living off energy that comes from sugars, it quickly goes into shock when you take them away. I felt like a drug addict coming down off a lifetime of drug use. I was nauseous, shaky, lethargic, and was even getting cold sweats. At some points I was curled up on the floor crying; all I wanted to do was break down and eat some bread. But, as the days went on, the side effects lessened, and I began to feel better. As the snow cleared, I left that house a new person.

The main issue I struggled with in the beginning, was how to get enough calories. My new diet mainly consisted of vegetables, and even though the Paleo and Autoimmune Protocol Diet diets allow eating meat, I have never enjoyed eating meat and was strictly a vegetarian for ten years. I was forced to expand my eating habits and try those vegetables I always thought to be less desirable. I actually found that I love most vegetables when cooked the proper way. As my body adjusted to not living off of sugar and carbs, I realized that my body only needs to consume about half as many daily calories as doctors say you should. Hunters and gatherers would only eat once a day; sometimes not even that and they survived for thousands of years.

As the weeks went on, I began to feel better. I had more energy, I felt overall healthier,

and most importantly the pain in my body began to decrease. I lost about ten pounds

and have never looked or felt better. It is astonishing to me that something as simple as

changing the way you eat can almost completely reverse a lifetime of pain.

I know it seems daunting at first to make such a major decision, but if you can fully

commit to it, and have the idea of better health in the end, I promise you will not be

disappointed. Personally, I believe that quitting these “bad foods” cold turkey is the only way to successfully cut them out. If you are still consuming something with even the tiniest hint of sugar or grain, you are still going to crave it and the process will be harder and more drawn out. It will be a shock in the beginning, but once you get over that first initial detox, your body really does not even crave those foods.

I have now been on this diet for over six months and will never go back. Not just because it drastically decreases my pain, but also because I feel like a whole new person. I truly believe that this diet is the way humans were meant to eat. It is challenging daily, but when I can resist all the endless temptations of inflammation causing food that constantly surround me, I know then that I can accomplish anything. Every time I say no to a carb or a sugary snack, I become stronger and more powerful.