For several years, I’ve dealt with “stomach issues” in various forms. It has caused me physical discomfort and emotional embarrassment. It has limited the type of activities I participate in, the length I can participate and where I can participate. None of these things left me feeling particularly good about myself. I spent a long time resigned to the fact that this is the way it would always be. Then, I found a doctor who got it right and it changed my life dramatically.
One component of managing this, and something that I have spoken about many times, is scaling back or down sizing. Living simply has made a significant impact on reducing stress in my life.
The second component is diet. In the fall of 2010, a friend of mine started the Paleo Diet. It seemed interesting and I began incorporating some of its principles (cutting back on processed foods) into my life. About a month later, I had a meeting with a nutritionist who suggested the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as a means to manage my symptoms.
Both “diets” call for the elimination of refined sugar, all grains and starch. Initially, this was a challenge. It forced me to spend more time in the kitchen, which resulted in a better awareness of the foods I was eating. Over the course of the last year, what I have (or more importantly what I have not) put into my body has played a big part in my overall well being.
It’s been just over a year since I committed to this lifestyle. My stomach issues are gone.
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