10 days is almost over…after today it will be. I’ve been thinking a lot about this “cleanse” I did and why I did it and how it effected me.
Last week I felt REALLY good. Like REALLY good….but the whole thing I have to admit, was hard. I don’t like feeling like I have restrictions, but I got past it because I wanted to try to see what upset my stomach and if it had any link to my eczema. I have to say it wasn’t that hard to give up grains or cheese because it was only 10 days. The hardest part was giving up whole milk (or soy milk) & sugar in my iced coffee. There were times where I just wanted a quesadilla, but really it was fine. (I should also mention I stayed away from broccoli also because my stomach doesn’t like it either.)
I had zero bloat, indigestion or gassy belly symptoms….and then I “cheated”. (I HATE the word cheat because of it’s negative connotation and the guilt it induces, but using it for the purpose of saying I veered off course.) On Monday I had some Eden soy milk in my iced coffee…and guess what, I paid for it all of Monday and Tuesday. I experienced immediate bloat and pains in my stomach…lasting all the way until Tuesday when I felt like I had a stomach hangover. I can’t believe the reaction lasted so long. I also read the package AFTER the fact and realized it has wheat in it. I really don’t think it’s the wheat causing the reaction, but no matter what I’m staying away from it for awhile. (Yesterday I attempted to make homemade hemp milk and today I’m going to try cashew milk…without a vitamix it’s pretty hard to make it perfectly.)
I mentioned before that I don’t like feeling restricted. It messes with my head because I already feel like I eat so healthy, why should I not be eating specific groups of food? Well, basically the soy thing is exactly why. There are foods that cause me discomfort and they shouldn’t be a part of my every day life. On the other end, I shouldn’t and won’t make statements about cutting out complete food groups because THAT doesn’t work for me. I AM going to avoid dairy for awhile…and then at some point in the future try little bits. I have to say that I’ve always felt and thought there is a link between dairy and my eczema. In 10 days of not having dairy the eczema on my fingers has cleared 80%. It hasn’t looked this good in 9 or 10 months.
I’m going to slowly work the food I cut out into my diet, adding in one thing at a time. Right now I’m going to do this for a few more days (maybe 1 or 2) because I want to make sure I end on a good note after that downfall AND that I keep feeling good.
So the positives were that I felt REALLY good. The negatives were that I spent A LOT of time planning and thinking about food, which I don’t really like. It was a lot more work because I had to make sure I had enough options AND that Danny had his meals and snacks. If you’re like me, you know food can consume you and that’s not a good way to be. I’ve always felt like food is meant to be enjoyed, which is why I couldn’t keep up with such a restrictive diet long term.
All in all, I would try this again because I feel like it was a good reset. I do feel badly that I cheated ONLY because it gave me a bad reaction. If it didn’t I really wouldn’t care. I think the good outweighs the bad in the sense that it gives you a reset AND insight onto what issues you may have with food that work/don’t work with your body. It’s also never a bad idea to cut down on sugar and other inflammatory foods.
If you want any more info on what I did over the past 10 days, then feel free to email me! I hope I didn’t contradict myself the entire time in this post, which I feel like I kind of did. Summary: I felt great. It was hard not having sugar. I liked how I felt. I didn’t like thinking so much about food and how restricted I felt. The end.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Nicole! Have you ever tried almond milk? I got it out of curiosity and am addicted to the stuff now! I use it in place of the skim milk that usually went in my coffee/tea, and my husband eats it in his cereal. I buy both Almond Breeze and Silk, love them both. I know you have tried a lot for your eczema…have you tried any of the Eucerin redness relief product line? This never fails me for my eczema breakouts on my face. Thanks for sharing!
I can totally relate to the restriction business. It is hard when food has to be such a focus. But it sounds like you definitely learned some things. I also prefer Almond Milk. Not sure if that would help/make a difference, but I definitely find it much easier to digest!
Great insights!!! I know certain foods bloat me a bit or make me toot,
but I really dislike the restriction thing so I do my best to work around it & eat those foods in smaller portions.. 