Trying to change to a diet that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, caffeine-free, and refined sugar-free is not easy!   I thought I was gonna die when I first started changing my diet … no more milk (which I would drink tons of every day, not to mention the daily bowls of cereal I looked forward to!), no more cheese (which I cooked with almost every meal), and no more breads (which I love way more than sweets)!  As I’ve stated before, I felt like the only thing allowed was air & water!

But actually, the feeling of deprivation didn’t last too long, especially when I started feeling (not seeing, but ‘feeling’) how my body reacted to eliminating those triggers from my life.  I actually felt as if I started living again because I began to feel better almost immediately.

This change has been difficult, but it has actually been rewarding.  It is exciting and fun learning what works for me and what doesn’t.  It is amazing to see how much a good food works ‘for’ me, and how much a bad food works against me (it’s almost immediate).  There are days where I’ll not feel so great and have to back track and figure out what I’ve eaten that has caused some ill effects on my body.   Today was one of those days.  I’m a rookie at trying to heal my Hashimoto’s, so I’m still a major work in progress trying to figure it all out.  But lucky you! ☺ – You guys are going to see me work my way through this journey until I see, hopefully, optimal health!

I haven’t even tried to master being caffeine-free yet, for I so love my cup of Java with Jesus in the mornings!!  As I stated earlier, today was one of those days where I’ve had to back track, and I think I’ve determined that I’m still going to be able to ‘Java with Jesus’, but it’s going to have to be unleaded from now on. (boo hoo hoo!)  I’m hoping that I will be able to eventually incorporate caffeine back into my diet, but … we shall see.

This is what a typical gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, clean meal looks like for me at dinner time.  Grilled chicken (seasoned w/ sea salt, garlic & onion powder), baked sweet potato with coconut oil and sunflower seeds, sliced avocado, oven roasted brussels sprouts (w/ olive oil, garlic & onion powder), and a salad consisting of power greens (spinach, kale, chard & mizuna) with cucumbers, topped w/olive oil & vinegar for the dressing. I can’t have tomatoes, which makes me extremely sad, because they are considered a nightshade (along with eggplant and peppers), and nightshades have a negative effect on the health of the gut.  But as you can see, I get plenty to eat.  I get hungry during the day, but that is only because I’m still trying to figure out the ‘easier’ foods I can eat at work that will still give me the protein and the nutrients my body needs.  I don’t want to have to warm up a whole meal and try to eat that at my desk, so it’s going to be trial and error for a while until I figure it out.

I only drink water (with lemon) with meals now.  There were times I’d phase in and out of making sweet tea, thinking I was doing my family a favor by decreasing the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cups.  If no tea, then I’d almost always drink a cold glass of milk … I so miss this!  However, the ill effects and the caloric intake is just not worth wasting on a beverage, and I love water, so it’s no big deal for me.  At this point, I actually prefer water as my beverage of choice.  As a matter of fact, I’m trying to intake at least 1 gallon of water a day.  Some days I do, some days I don’t; and my body feels the difference.

There is so much to consider when making a lifestyle change as big as this, and what works for me may not be what works for you. You may not have to eliminate from your diet as much as I have.  This, so far, has just been what is working at themoment for my Hashimoto’s (or as Todd calls it, my ‘Kung Fu-itis’ ha!). But once again, I just started not too long ago, and I’ve got a long way to go, so I’m a sponge trying to soak up whatever knowledge and wisdom I can for the road ahead.

Later on this week, I’ll give you the deets on one thing in particular that has made its way as a staple in my daily menu.

Keep it real – keep it simple – and enjoy your daily blessings!

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not. ~Mark Twain

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  ~1 Cor. 10:31