Man cannot live by bread alone

As many of you know, I have an incredibly restrictive diet. After years of stomach issues, and strange tests and such, I found that nutrition is the the only thing that saves me. My diet right now is very difficult to follow, but I am grateful I live in a place like Portland ,where food allergies are very accepted. I mean, even the Subway has gluten- free and vegan options. I took this blood test called the ALCAT, which tested for all sorts of allergens in food, and what my body specifically reacted to. I have known for a few years that gluten was a problem, but I had no idea how may foods my body actually reacted to. I am very sensitive to every day common things like ; lemon, garlic, ginger, cantaloupe...yadayadayada. It's actually an extensive list, and I will spare you the long laundry list of items. But the funny thing is, I got tested last year before going on the ship, and my allergens were totally different. I could not have pineapple or carrots for a year. It's so weird. But it really made me realize how important variety in my diet is. If I ate the same things over and over again, eventually I would build up an intolerance to it. So, as much as I love  my almond milk smoothies and brown rice, I cannot eat them every day. I now pay such close attention to every ingredient I digest. I am very careful of everything I put in to my body, which is really important anyway. I have become a conscious eater. I still eat way too fast, but I am working on that as well. The thing is, many many people have food allergies. But they show up in other ways besides stomach issues. I have one friend who eats gluten and sleeps all day. Another friend who aches all over after eating a  sandwich. The important thing is to be aware of what you are eating and how it affects you. If you are one of those "lucky one's" who can eat anything and never has a problem, you should also be careful. Our bodies are acutely aware of our actions. If we treat our bodies with respect and care, they will treat us with the same.


    That also applies to things that we put on to our body. I recently found out that there is a chemical in hair products, lotions, sunscreens, and basically anything that rubs into your skin that is found in the formation of breast tumors. They are called Parabens, and they are really dangerous.  It makes sense though. If you think about it, whatever you rub on your skin soaks in to your skin. I used to be skeptical about all natural products (and I still always look to see if they really are) but now, I really want to make sure I watch for dangerous chemicals in my products. It's really difficult to find things without it that aren't super expensive, but why skimp on health? You could end up spending that money on medical bills anyway.

     This world is filled with free- radicals and even the air we breathe can give us cancer, so the best thing we can do is aim to take care of ourselves and the earth around us. Everything is connected. Everything is linked. We truly are what we eat.



Also- I know some of you have asked me to help them with some allergen free- diet tips, so if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me