Breaking The Vicious Cycle

ANOTHER MIRACLE DIET?

In my search for healing, I've tried so many of those “miracle diets” out there. Just to name a few, I've tried gluten free diet (multiple times), low sugar diets, no sugar diets and The Makers Diet... Time after time, nothing has worked to turn my health around. Yes, I may have found some minor relief, but nothing to take this dreaded curse away. Granted, there are people out there who have had success on special diets and managed to flip failing health around. Hooray for those people! (I only wish I was one of them as well!)

BREAKING THE VICIOUS CYCLE

Throughout the past couple years, I've had many people tell me I need to read a particular book- “Breaking The Vicious Cycle”. 

Well I finally read this book, and I think a year too late! The theory behind the diet makes sense to me. The author basically explains how certain people (like me) can't digest complex carbohydrates like other people can. Interestingly enough, these are often the people who have been found to have IBD, Colitis and Crohn's Disease. (This explains why these people often find relief when they cut out gluten/breads/pastas, carbs out of their diet.) Consequently when these foods that can't be digested continue to be eaten, damage is done to the intestines. Not only are the nutrients not absorbed, but these complex foods wreak havoc on the bowels as they pass through. Sometimes the damage is not felt at all, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Other times people experience painful symptoms.

SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET

The diet in this book is called The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The name may seem a little misleading because the typical carbohydrates that we think of are not the ones allowed. No carbs besides natural ones found in fruit and veggies. Although the body has trouble digesting complex carbs, simple carbohydrates are easily absorbed into the guts. These would be the sugars found naturally in fruit and vegetables. This book suggests a completely radical change in diet. The goal is to stick strictly to this diet for 1-2 years, which will allow enough time for damaged guts to heal themselves. Since problem causing foods are not eaten during that time, things can heal up. Commitment to the diet cannot be half-hearted, or it won't work. Reason being- if you are continually ingesting harmful foods, damage will continue to be done and healing will be prolonged. After the initial period of 1-2 years, “illegal foods” can be slowly tried and added back into diet. 

Basically the theory is that if I eat these easily digested foods for long enough, my wounded, ulcered, guts will patch themselves up. In turn, I will eventually be able to eat foods that are more difficult to digest....

GUTLESS AND DIET

I've been on this Specific Carbohydrate Diet diet for about 6 weeks at this point. And boy, is it hard to stick to! No, I haven't fallen off or eaten any illegal foods. The trouble I'm running into though is the fact that since I don't have a colon, half the foods recommended don't work for me! For example, a lot of recipes call for “nut flour”, which is actually just raw almonds chopped up very finely in a blender. Now if you don't have a colon, even the most finely chopped nuts do not get broken down or digested. FACT. I knew this, but tried to make a few recipes anyways. They tasted wonderful, but I paid for it later. Here's what I learned about eating nuts- No matter how thoroughly a gutless person chews nuts, they come out like gravel. Yes, literally like passing gravel. NOT fun. Take into consideration that this gutless girl has no rectum either, and I must say that week long damage was done! Whew! Unfortunately 90% of the recipes in the diet use the notorious nut flour and boy, I know better than to try that again!

I've basically been living off chicken, turkey, cooked veggies (the few I'm not allergic to), home-made yogurt, honey, unflavored gelatin and cheese chips.  

My delicious home-made yogurt (processing in my yogurt maker)

Cheddar cheese chips cooking up on the grill!

Not an unhealthy way to live and the food is tasty. However, I do miss convenience. Honestly I don't  miss the sugar that much, but I do miss Wendy's drive thru and I do miss frozen boxed dinners.

KITCHEN CUFFS

The other issue I've been having with the diet is that since nothing processed can be eaten, I have to cook literally everything I eat. I feel chained to the kitchen. Preparing food, washing dishes 3 separate times per day, etc.... It really takes a toll on free time. That's why I've been so busy lately- pouring all my efforts into feeding this body. I have to say that eating gluten free was about a hundred times easier than this! There are so many gluten free products available these days. At least then I just had to focus on being careful with reading labels. Truthfully I think this diet has helped cut down on my symptoms, but its wearing me pretty thin. Sometimes it takes all my energy to cook a meal, when I'm already so energy-less. I'm giving it a shot though. No idea when whether I'll stick to it for 1-2 years. I am just living one day at a time and seeking direction for the future at the same time.