Follow Your Fckn Gut: The Diet
I know this isn’t breaking news, but your diet is so FUCKING IMPORTANT to your gut health. Before I started this process, I considered myself pretty damn healthy. I had already eliminated dairy, ate a ton of fruit and vegetables, and limited my high-caloric intake. Little did I know, I was only skimming the surface of “wellness”.
To get straight to the point, along with dairy, my doctor had me eliminate ALL sugar, saturated fat, refined carbs, soy, and processed foods. I couldn’t even have an apple because it contained “too much sugar.” She didn’t appreciate the chuckle I let out after this suggestion.
I am sure you are wondering, like I surely did, “what the fuck do I eat now”? I basically follow the whole foods diet along with lean, organic meat. I also eat other sauces, dressings, and mixes but I need to know every ingredient in the package and where it came from. I am a blast to go out with. Does anyone know what the fuck xantham gum is? Not only is it in virtually every processed food you consume, but it’s also used in wallpaper glue.
I am about to sound super extra and elitist, but it actually is reaaaally important to eat pasture-raised, grass-fed, organic meat. Not only is it more humane for the animals, obviously, but it’s also beyond appalling the amount of antibiotics and chemicals used in factory meat. I will dive more into this nightmare at a later date but for all those willing to be scarred from ever eating factory meat again, click here.
If you are like me and your life revolves around food, this probably sounds like a super daunting, and frankly terrible, lifestyle to maintain. I’m not going to lie to you, it can be more expensive, requires more planning and is more difficult to eat out. It has also been challenging for me to find variety since my doctor didn’t give me a diet plan. She only told me “to stick with meat and vegetables” which sounded terribly boring. With my limited options, I needed to research and create different recipes (yikes) so that my food wasn’t bland as fuck. Going forward, I will start sharing recipes and snacks (I promise to not make it basic) I have found on my own and through others on similar paths that are satisfying and won’t leave you keeled over in the bathroom.
I was so addicted to carbs that I went through withdrawals for a couple days when I started to eliminate it. This is not even me being dramatic. My blood sugar would drop at a moment’s notice and my whole body would shake if I didn’t have a fucking piece of bread. I was like an addict waiting for my next fix.
Eventually, I realized that carbs are (sadly) one of my main sources of happiness and I needed to incorporate it into my daily diet in order to not turn into a total asshole. I found some quick fixes to satisfy these cravings. These are obviously not as good as a plate of fresh spaghetti or rice pilaf, but it sure beats me laying on my couch writhing in pain.
Tolerant organic pasta instead of regular pasta-this is ONE ingredient. One fucking ingredient. It’s honestly pretty tasty and has a similar texture to pasta.
Quinoa in lieu of rice. This is as basic as it gets but also gets the job done.
Regular bread swapped with sprouted bread. Whole Foods is my favorite brand I’ve found so far. Any other recommendations, please drop it in the comments below.
I still have pasta and rice occasionally because I am not a total psychopath, but I just expect to suffer the consequences for a few days.
There are many more topics to cover on my survival journey, but why not end on a controversial topic to stir the proverbial pot- intermittent fasting. I know everyone and their mother has an opinion on this but I TRULY feel like my best self, digestion-wise, when I eat between 10:30am-6:30pm. Of course, if I am starving before or after that window of time, I am going to fucking eat. But I have found, through lots of trial and error, that if I stick to the 16:8 ratio of intermittent fasting, I feel my overall best. While intermittent fasting seems to work well for me, it is NOT for everyone. There are several negative side effects (overeating, fatigue, and dehydration to name a few) that can occur and might even worsen your digestive issues. This is not the bible of optimal health, at least not yet, and you should obviously do what works for you. But if you’re interested in checking it out, I personally think it is worth it to give it a shot.
