Oh MY! A Shocking Discovery!

Earlier this year I decided to throw out the rule book on how I eat and stop measuring things like length of intermittent fasts; I threw out the numbers and going all intuitive ‘n’ stuff. (After 23 years I’ve got a pretty good handle on things, I’d say.) And it has been great! I eat to control pain and inflammation and it’s still working out wonderfully well!

Overall, though my food intake is roughly 90% animal-based – including animal products such as cream, butter, eggs – I tend to go heavier on meats from late fall to early spring. While meat makes up the majority of my diet all year, once the weather gets warmer I tend to want to eat lighter, especially when my garden is producing all of that deliciousness!

So, in anticipation of that, I ate some plants that I haven’t had in a while: Friday for supper I had some cauliflower rice – Saturday I had some cabbage – Sunday I had a carbier-than-usual meal which included some pasta. It was my 48-hour testing period to see how my body responded.

It did not respond well!

When our bodies’ digestive systems adapt to a particular type of food, they tend to balk at managing anything different. My gut flora is fantastic at digesting meats and animal products especially, and still manages the few plant-based foods that I occasionally eat through the winter, such as squashes and my little waxy potatoes. Even the occasional tomato or two. I’ve read that, when not used or needed for a period of time, the level of the busy little gut microbes and bacteria and enzymes and such that – in my case – are used to utilize plants simply drop off.

It makes sense to me. And starting Friday night I was learning just how much sense! After spending the night tossing in agony with gut pain as my system struggled with the influx of cauliflower, I was exhausted on Saturday. But I had a good meal planned for the family (3 grandkids were here for the weekend) that included one my all-time favorite vegetables, cabbage. I was SO looking forward to it, and while the little guy on my right shoulder was telling me, “For all that is good, DON’T DO IT!” while the little guy on my left shoulder (the one with the horns) was telling me, “That is going to be SO GOOD, you haven’t had cabbage in ages! Something that delicious HAS to be healthy, right?”

Saturday night was worse than Friday night. So on Sunday, with only 6 hours to go until my test ended, I ordered another favorite, Shrimp Scampi, at our after-church restaurant. It was delicious! I ignored the plethora of tomatoes on top, eating them anyway; after all, I had had a few through the winter…and since I was eating potatoes – albeit low-starch potatoes – through the winter, the pasta shouldn’t be a huge issue even with my wheat sensitivity…

Sunday night there were many times I considered waking up my husband to take me to the ER. I didn’t know if I was going to die, or just wanted to. It was beyond awful!

Was my test a success? Absolutely! Am I happy about the results? Definitely not!

Yesterday – Monday – I ate animal-based for both meals, with the exception of a tablespoon of guacamole to flavor the sour cream on my pork rind nachos in the evening. (Only roasted meat for lunch.) I still had lots and lots of low belly pain, but while it wasn’t pleasant, I wasn’t thinking it would kill me. Today, just a pound and a half of ribeye for my first meal, not sure if there will be a second, but if so, it will be animal-based.

So I guess this year will be different. I will be eschewing most plant-based foods once again, enjoying only those with whom I still maintain a good relationship with on my keto days. Will I ever go 100% animal based? Not sure. But any more experiences like this weekend will greatly increase the chances.