After two weeks on Phase 1, I realized I needed to try something different. My joint pain hadn't been relieved, which from my research I guess is to be expected. But more tellingly, my digestion issues hadn't eased up AT ALL. And maybe had gotten just a tiny bit worse.
So I tried following my nutritionists advice to cut out fructose. She had told me that if I didn't see relief from symptoms, I should either cut the foods out that I had added from other phases (e.g. lettuce was on Phase 4, but she had let me add it right away so I'd have better variety), or I should cut out fructose. So I did both. I researched ... Of the foods I was eating, which ones should be avoided on a low fructose diet (basically FODMAPS).
One day was all I could stand. My stomach issues got so severe I was literally doubled over in pain after eating. I specifically remember getting terrible pains after eating a cucumber spear. However, when I would eat meat, I wouldn't get such bad reactions.
The next day, I tried an all meat diet, just as an experiment. Just meat patties and bone broth. Virtually no stomach issues. The next day I tried the same thing, but added in some cooked beets. My stomach issues were still pretty good. Then I added in sweet potatoes. Not as good as the beets, but still I was feeling better.
I didn't want to maintain this limited diet without some kind of a plan, so I hopped on the internet to see if this new discovery would give me any clues to why I feel so crappy.
So I did a quick google search for something like "feel fine eating meat stomach pain eating raw vegetables." So scientific! :)
The search came up with countless stories of Crohn's Disease. Hmmm.... when I had my colonoscopy last year, it showed inflammation of the terminal ileum (classic Crohn's) but "not enough" to warrant a diagnosis of Crohn's, according to my doc. In addition, I didn't have the classic diarrhea or weight loss associated with Crohn's. But I do have severe joint pain, and the stomach issues of course.
So I started diving into researching Crohn's. Had I just caught my Crohn's early? Since I have been struggling with health for 25+ years, and have used diet to manage my health, was I just more in tune with my body than other people? Do other people maybe just ignore these nagging symptoms, or take something to cover them up? Do I have "pre-Crohn's"? Did I just make up that term? I think so.
I have been very familiar with using diet to cure or manage Crohn's, since I had read quite a few of Jordan Rubin's books. It got me thinking.... What did he do to get better? What research did he do, and what books was he reading, and who was he talking with? I realized that Crohn's was just another manifestation of a leaky gut... Which is why I had done the MRT testing in the first place. I really need to fix that damn thing.
I'll make a long story a little shorter and just get to the end... I decided to continue on Phase 1 of the LEAP diet, while following the protocol for GAPS intro diet. If you haven't yet heard of GAPS, do a quick google search and you'll find a plethora of info. I started it yesterday.
As a wrap up to this post, I just wanted to list the foods I at over the couple weeks of "Phase 1", and what I'm eating now. Note the expansion of foods, especially fruits, from what I was eating before. The reason I did this (kind of had to do this), is because I had a week of teaching a kids camp, and working 14+ hours a day, and I couldn't get by without some quick hand foods and quick energy. It was already three weeks into the protocol anyway. All the foods listed below are still in the Green area on the MRT testing.
For the past month weeks, with the "very limited" being in the last two weeks:
- Beef
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Elk, Buffalo, Wild Game, Etc.
- Sweet Potato
- Oat
- Quinoa (very limited)
- Beet
- Spinach
- Aspragus
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Broccoli
- Cabbage (very limited)
- String Bean
- Celery (very limited)
- Lettuce
- Cantaloupe (very limited)
- Olive
- Apple
- Cherry (very limited)
- Raspberry (very limited)
- Pear (very limited)
- Banana (very limited)
- Watermelon (very limited)
- Grape (very limited)
- Pineapple (very limited)
- Strawberry (very limited)
- Olive Oil
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Honey
- Unsweetened Raw Cocoa Powder
Now on the GAPS Intro diet, this is what the diet calls for on Stage 1 (3-5 days). In blue, I also listed the corresponding LEAP diet result and how I plan to modify for my use.
Meat or Fish Stock
- I plan to stay with meat stock, since MRT indicated that I react badly to fish. Beef broth and chicken broth will be my staples. I'll see if I can find other soup bones at the farmers market this Saturday.
- I shouldn't have to modify this much for MRT. Beef and Turkey are Phase 1, Chicken is Phase 2. Since meats tested so well for me, I think wild game will be okay too.
- Broccoli is Phase 3
- Cauliflower is Phase 2
- Carrot is Phase 1
- Onion is Phase 2
- Leek is Phase 2
- Should have no problems!
- Squash, summer: Here's my biggest conflict. Zucchini is in the Yellow Zone, so I will avoid it. Does that mean I should also avoid yellow squash (which shows up in Phase 4 in LEAP)? How about pattypan or crookneck? I'm just not sure.
- Squash, winter: Winter squash is also related to summer squash. Which, if we want to get really technical, is also related to cucumbers and melons. So do I avoid winter squash too? It makes up the bulk of the carbohydrates on this diet and I don't want to go into ketosis. I'm still undecided on this one. I think I might try a few days using butternut squash... If I'm not experiencing relief, I'll cut it out for awhile to see if it makes a difference.
- This is what I've been using for LEAP, so I see no problems.
- This is a natural probiotic, and they have us ease into it very slowly (1-2 tsp per day), so I don't anticipate this being a conflict with MRT.
As you can see, the GAPS diet integrates pretty darn well with my MRT testing, at least in Stage 1 of the Intro. The biggest issue is the summer squash - I think I'll avoid it all together. The winter squash I'll give a go, if I need to, I'll back off.
I figure if it works, I'll continue to GAPS Intro Stage 2, with the same thought given to staying within the confines of the LEAP diet.
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