Long story made kind of shortish….but the principles of Paleo are changing my life!
I sought out to try the Paleo diet over a year and a half ago. My husband mentioned that a friend of his was doing it, and we should try it. I did my research, and started reading some interesting things such as pain reduction when on this diet/lifestyle change. See, I’ve had hand/wrist pain for over 4 years (so over 2 years at the time), and had been to doctor after doctor with no success. I tried the diet but as a Whole 30, and my husband was done after 2 weeks, and I was done after 3 weeks. I didn’t stay on it long enough to reap the benefits.
Fast forward a year, and I decide to do another Whole 30, as a driver to give up my addiction to chocolate, ice cream, all things sweet. Well, I did the Whole 30 but stopped after, again, about 3 weeks. This time, though, I continued to stay away from sugar products and refined carbohydrates. I did this for about 3-4 months, and was even able to go kayaking without the hand pain (just a little stiffness). Prior to this I had been officially diagnosed with arthritis, but none of it clicked.
I went back to sweets, unfortunately, after eating less than ideal foods following mouth surgery. What came back was all of that hand and wrist pain that had been gone for many months. The realization then hit me, and I believed ALL of the research that I had done. There are foods out there that directly cause inflammation, and are unhealthy for our body. My body tells me that every day, whether I like it or not!! The add/remove/add foods back in worked.
I am back at doing a Whole 30 (modified slightly), and will be sticking to Paleo (again, slightly modified based on my bodies tolerances) as a lifestyle change for a good portion of my eating. I’m still ok with having meals that are off of Paleo – I still like my chips at the Mexican restaurant and a good buritto, but that will no longer be the norm. It is a huge lifestyle shift that I have come to grips with. It is what my body is asking me to do. I’ve had so many days of feeling sorry for myself because I can’t do everything that I used to be able to. BUT, I know what to do to get myself to being 80-90%. I’m ok with not being 100% - that will not happen and I can’t change that. I can change that right now I’m only at 60-65% of full function.
So why am I an advocate of Paleo – because when I stick to the principles of it, I get my life back. It's not about losing weight but it is about feeling good. It’s not for everybody, but for me it is a lifesaver.
More information on the relationship between paleo and arthritis can be found here: http://paleo.com.au/2014/03/can-eating-paleo-diet-help-arthritis/