Friday, May 13, 2011

Dairy (and Refined Sugar) are the new Gluten

All of my friends know that I am in the process of getting back into the "best shape of my life".   Major lifestyle changes have not only become a habit, but something that I LOVE and am really looking forward to.  But if you have spoken, texted or emailed me recently you probably also know my journey is not yet over.  I have still been suffering with gastrointestinal issues,  things that I won't say because I don't want you to become ill, along with abdominal pain and bloating.  Spending excessive amounts of my time in the restroom is just not cool when I have two kids screaming for attention, crawling on the counter and knocking over glass, coloring on each other and chewing on shoes, but I digress. 

I  spoke to my Dr and we came to the conclusion that it's most likely dairy that is the culprit. Now, even though I don't drink straight cows milk at this time (raw or pasteurized) I still consume things like whey protein shakes and butter every single day.  I have been taking digestive enzymes with my meals along with Betaine HCL and this really seems to help digest proteins like I should.  So this morning, I took a very high quality digestive enzyme along with my usual whey protein shake and BAM! it hit me like a ton of bricks - ouch!    Now,  I have had my thoughts about whey not agreeing with me before, but this drink is so respected and everyone loves it, I thought that it couldn't be the shake.  But I can now say for certain that it is.  I'm sure it's fine for the rest of the population who, unlike me can tolerate dairy.  It has worked well for me with regard to weight loss, but I just can't afford to consume it any longer.

So I am really going to make efforts to treat Dairy and Refined Sugars just like I do gluten - ERADICATE them!  It seems to be the ticket to less time spent in the restroom and a happier family life.  Even though I'm not Vegan, I do believe the Vegan products will suit me better as they are (for the most part) certified organic and animal product free. 

So, the journey continues.  I'm pretty sure that I'm well on my way to getting even better and that I uncovered a major problem that was frustrating me these past few weeks.  I loved bread and dairy and sugar but it's not worth all of the pain. 




No comments: