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I'm coming up on the home stretch of the elimination diet, and have learned some pretty critical information about how my body handles different foods. The quick breakdown, without getting into the not-so-glamorous details of my various responses, is as follows:

I have shown no adverse reaction to corn (the one I was most nervous about), citrus, or any other fruits and veggies. Hurray!

I have mild reactions to aged dairy, unfermented soy, wine, and liquor. I seem to be fine if I have these items in moderation, which is good news -- I'd be pretty bummed if I could never again sit down with wine and cheese.

The bummer list is pretty short so far, thankfully. Regular dairy and I do not get along. This is one of those things I've sort of known for the past few years, but tried to ignore. After this experiment, though, I think I'll be staying away for the most part. Very small amounts seem to be ok, but anything else is not so pleasant. Good thing I really like rice and almond milks. I also can't really tolerate fermented soy (aka tofu), but I'm quite all right with that. It did add a little protein boost to my smoothie, but other than, I was never really a fan.

Then, of course, there are still the items to be tested. Soon I'll know how my body gets along with (or not) yeast, peanuts, eggs, seeds, and tree nuts. Fingers crossed.

The Amazing Digestive System

Don't worry, folks. No pictures for this post.

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been slowly working my way through Digestive Wellness, by Elizabeth Lipski, Ph.D., C.C.N. I'm a touch obsessed with how the digestive system works, so this book is a pretty exciting read for me. There were a few times while reading yesterday that I was so blown away that I had to pick up the phone and call my mom to share the news. Some were relatively intuitive, and some just blew me away. Here, the mom-worthy portions:

"Chronic stress lengthens the amount of time that food stays in the stomach, while short-term stress usually shortens the emptying time," (p. 24). Makes sense, doesn't it? When you're constantly stressed, and you just feel heavy and sluggish, that's exacerbated by your digestive system being so fatigued that it can't move things along steadily. And when you have a sudden stress -- a break-up, changing jobs, or an exam coming up -- sometimes things go right through you.

"Current research indicates that 70 percent of the immune system is located in or around the digestive system," (p. 27). This made my jaw drop. Seventy percent! If I didn't want to put good, nourishing, whole foods in my body before, I sure do after this statistic. Think about it, sit with it for a bit. A little extra incentive to give your body the raw material it needs to function optimally.

"Serotonin is best known for its role in the brain, but 95 percent of our serotonin is manufactured in the gut. Without adequate amounts, we have insomnia and are depressed," (p. 28). This statistic I had actually heard this past spring, and it was the reason I quit artificial sweeteners and said bye-bye to my beloved Diet Coke. Artificial sweeteners directly interfere with serotonin production, and I, for one, could use every little boost I can get when it comes to falling asleep and staying happy.

For the full story on any of these, I strongly encourage you to check out the book.


New feature alert: Because I'm a bit of a research junkie (No joke. Aftermath from my drunken nights? All the reference books pulled from my shelves, left strewn about the apartment with pages open to quite a random assortment of factoids.), I like to share my favorite resources in case anyone would like to do further reading or see where I get my information. To that end, I've created a Bookshelf sidebar on the left. It's broken down loosely according to categories, and includes links to Amazon so you can easily find the books for yourself. Some of the books I've read cover to cover, but many I dip in and out of as needed. Or after one mojito too many. Hey, I'm a health nut, not a saint.