I won't do that again anytime soon!

Hashimoto's Disease or Autoimmune Thyroiditis can really take a toll on your body. How do I know, because I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's a little over 2 years ago and have been trying my best to combat the disease and at least get it somewhat under control. I am told it will never go away, however I can reduce the number of antibodies in my system and therefore also reduce some of the symptoms.

I decided about a month ago I really wanted a break from the totally gluten and dairy free diet I had been following for about a year. I am not a person who when I say I am gluten free buys a bunch of processed food that is called gluten free, I instead followed a version of the paleo diet. I say version because there seems to be as many versions of it as there are people who say they are following it. My version is eat lots of organic vegetables, probably double the amount that is recommended for the governments healthy guidelines. I also eat several servings of organic fruit each day, probably 4-5 and that is probably a little higher than most. It is not recommended to eat as much fruit as I do when you have gut problems, but I need to be able to get some sweetness from someplace and so fruit seems to be my go to food for sweet. I eat meat, I try to buy from a local farmer who has grass fed and finished chicken, been, and pork, however, this meat is extremely expensive, so I have not been as strict about the meat as I have been about the fruits and vegetables. I eat dark chocolate, at least 85% cacao, and health oils (coconut and olive).

I have never given up my coffee for any length of time. I have gone for a specified period of time without caffeine as part of a detox or cleanse, but never with the intention of not having it again. I did however stop cold turkey on Diet Coke. There have been times I think I really want one, but when I walked away from them I had determined it was for good.

So when I decided to take a break from my eating plan and actual enjoy some bread and pasta and cheese and yogurt, I also happened to stop taking all of my medications. Not really on purpose, it just ended up that I wasn't paying attention and just didn't remember to take it. We were on vacation last week and that was my final week that I had planned on not following my food plan. I was amazed by the end of the month the negative impact to my body and health that eating gluten and dairy caused.

• I am very tired. In fact, on vacation I was in bed usually by about 8:30 or 9:00 pm. This is not my typical vacation bedtime, at all. 
• My psoriasis was extremely inflamed not only on my elbows where I always get it, but also all over my scalp. Lots of scabs and itching. Very unpleasant and not improving very quickly.
• My eyes are swollen a lot, nearly every day.
• My knees and hips are really bothering me. I haven't had joint pain in well over a year, so this was very noticeable when it started.
• I have headaches daily.
• My ears are constantly ringing to the point it wakes me up at night.
• I am out of sorts. Yelling at everyone around me. In a bad mood with no apparent reason why. Arguing just to argue and not giving up until I have out argued anyone in my path. This is probably the most noticeable change that I have had.
• The belly bloat is unbelievable! I look like I am about seven months pregnant after I eat bread. Do you have any idea how bad that hurts?
• I can't forget the dizziness and heart palpitations either as they are annoying and you never know when you are going to get them or how long they will last. These are sometimes hours after I eat gluten or sometimes not until the next day.

So, on Monday I returned to my healthy eating habits. I was eating healthy during my month with gluten and dairy, but my body just cannot have those things anymore and it is not afraid to tell me. I had a green smoothie to start my week. I also made some vegetable soup using chicken bone stock I had made and adding collard greens to make sure I was getting plenty of greens. I made a wonderful dinner with wild caught shrimp, sliced zucchini, grape tomato's, olive oil, basil and oregano from my garden, some mushrooms, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. I could already tell this morning that my body is appreciating the change. Most noticeable was my knees and hips were not aching today. I followed my plan again today and I am happy to be back on plan.

I have read it can take up to a year to recover after eating gluten one time if you are gluten intolerant like I am. I really hope it does not take me that long, however if it does, it was my own fault. No one put that food into my body except me. I have learned I need to keep working on my food choices every single day. There are some vegetables that I have not given up yet that I am told I may need to, most notable are the nightshades. Unfortunately tomato's and peppers are two of my favorite foods in the world, so I am not sure when or even if I will ever give those up. I guess if I cannot seem to get my autoimmune diseases under control with my gluten and dairy free eating, I will have to go that route. But for now, I am going to eat my nightshades. In fact tomorrow it will be a big juicy tomato and green pepper from my garden to go along with dinner.

Glad to be back on my routine and working for healing.