The second phase of the immunocalm diet had more foods to add, foods that were still not reactive, but closer to moderately reactive. It was about two weeks after the first phase.
Near the beginning of this phase I had a perfect storm of things not going well: I was exhausted, work was stressful, I may have had a hormonal issue, and I didn't fuel a long run correctly. The result was a meltdown of fairly epic proportions followed by a day of very high blood sugar and a second day where it was just unstable - low and high. I stopped taking Metformin that day (not recommending doing this on your own, I have had a lot of conversations about dosing with both my endo and GP over the past year).
Some foods were great to be able to add because they made the diet less restrictive. My dietitian encouraged me to keep tracking in cronometer, which I did. I have now been tracking daily for more than a month and I think that's my longest streak. I also started taking a probiotic and iron supplement, and learned that I shouldn't take supplements at the same time as my medicines.
These are the foods I could add (bold I did add):
• Crab, shrimp, lamb
• White potato, tapioca
• Lima bean, tomato, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, celery, onion
• Papaya, cherry, strawberry, honeydew melon, mango
• Walnut, almond
• Honey, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, coconut, maple, carob
I was also able to find an almond milk and cashew milk that don't have ingredients that are either reactive or untested. And I started using green pea protein powder, which is helping me get enough protein.
Late in the period I shared information with my family. My youngest sister was curious and asked questions. My dad asked if I could still drink our shared favorite coffee. :)
I have learned a lot about food, discipline, and people's attitudes about food and food sensitivity. Generally people are not supportive of other's decisions regarding food. Some are encouraging, which helps.
Interestingly I have not gone on a food binge, eaten cane sugar or wheat, or had alcohol despite a few stressful weeks.
What has happened? I have been training hard and doing well on most workouts. I have less mucus to deal with when I am swimming, I am losing weight even though my weight is still fairly variable. I am not hungry except in the middle of the night when I do a super long swim Monday after work. My blood sugar is the best its been in months.
I have been to parties and events. I eat what I can at them, and record it honestly. I eat to my training. I don't eat recklessly because I "deserve" it or "have earned it" through training. I am in it for the long haul.
After the first 28 days I could start adding untested foods one at a time. The only food I've added has been chickpeas. Who would have thought?
The almond and cashew milks can be found at http://malkorganics.com/find-malk/
ReplyDelete