I can't believe I'm starting yet another blog. I stopped writing a couple of years ago as I got fed up with putting stupid expectations on myself with it all. That said, I have missed writing about my random thoughts and having a journal to look back on.
Last year was a big challenge mentally for me and I couldn't bring myself to write anything as I was afraid of focusing on the bad things. Journalling during these times isn't good for my health. However, something has changed in me in recent months and I'm feeling hopeful again and my yearning for a more simple life has increased tenfold.
I had a lightbulb moment while chatting with a good friend in France last summer. I have many complicated medical problems that I find overwhelming most the time, but for some reason, I noticed that every year while I'm in France on holiday for two weeks I feel a lot better and can cope better with day to day living. As soon as I get back to the UK I go downhill again within a few days. It's happened every time I've been to France over the last 4 years.
So chatting with my good friend (and Tribe member), we tried to figure out what was different. Ok, the warm summer sun helps a lot but we had an amazing summer in the UK last year as well, so that wasn't it. The fresh open spaces in rural France were amazing but even though I live in the suburbs at home I wouldn't say I lived in a built-up area. In fact, we have lovely trees and wildlife opposite our house as we are on the edge of the estate.
I don't have the pressures of a job at home, as I've been medically retired for about 10 years now, so that wasn't the difference. Ok, I do find things easier when I have Matt home from work to help with things I find difficult, but not to this extent. Something was clearly different in France.
I noticed in France that a LOT of the food out there has No Preservatives stamped proudly on it. I asked my friend about it and she confirmed that the French are really against their food being tampered with. I have numerous serious sensitivities to foods and solvents thanks to fibromyalgia/ME so I started to look more carefully at what we had been eating in France.
Most of what we ate there were fresh fruit and veg, Shaar gluten free bread (that I can get at home) and good quality meats. Our diet was quite different. And yes, we loved moules and I also am quite fond of snails. We were eating a lot cleaner.
With Matt's help, we paired our food right back to the basics. I don't buy processed foods at all any more for myself and very little for Matt and Missy. It took many weeks of cutting all these additives out of my diet as well as the many foods I had already cut out before I noticed any change. Then it was profound.
I have been getting severe headaches (meningitis type ones) 1-3 times a week for ten years. They last between 3 and 10 days and often I get one attack on top of another as they switch to the other side of my head. I was lucky if I had a small handful of days each month with less pain. I never had a pain free day.
This was such a profound discovery. I am now having more and more better days where I feel like me and not Mr Hyde. I even get some pain free days. Every weekend now Matt and I batch cook for the week and freeze a load of meals for days when I'm too sick to cook. I now choose to go without on my bad days rather than eat convenience food and get more sick. I would rather starve. Besides, I've got plenty of reserves to keep me going!
This was the turning point for me. Without constant attacks I actually feel like me, the person I like. During an attack I feel a personality switch, hence Mr Hyde. I was very depressed and anxious all the time. By avoiding triggers and eating clean I'm me more often and I can feel the depression lifting. The old adage of 'You are what you eat' couldn't have been made more obvious to me.
So I feel that a new chapter in my life is starting. One that's making me question a lot more about the way we live and how it's making us sick. I'm at the beginning of my journey but am so glad that I took the first steps.
Last year was a big challenge mentally for me and I couldn't bring myself to write anything as I was afraid of focusing on the bad things. Journalling during these times isn't good for my health. However, something has changed in me in recent months and I'm feeling hopeful again and my yearning for a more simple life has increased tenfold.
I had a lightbulb moment while chatting with a good friend in France last summer. I have many complicated medical problems that I find overwhelming most the time, but for some reason, I noticed that every year while I'm in France on holiday for two weeks I feel a lot better and can cope better with day to day living. As soon as I get back to the UK I go downhill again within a few days. It's happened every time I've been to France over the last 4 years.
So chatting with my good friend (and Tribe member), we tried to figure out what was different. Ok, the warm summer sun helps a lot but we had an amazing summer in the UK last year as well, so that wasn't it. The fresh open spaces in rural France were amazing but even though I live in the suburbs at home I wouldn't say I lived in a built-up area. In fact, we have lovely trees and wildlife opposite our house as we are on the edge of the estate.
I don't have the pressures of a job at home, as I've been medically retired for about 10 years now, so that wasn't the difference. Ok, I do find things easier when I have Matt home from work to help with things I find difficult, but not to this extent. Something was clearly different in France.
I noticed in France that a LOT of the food out there has No Preservatives stamped proudly on it. I asked my friend about it and she confirmed that the French are really against their food being tampered with. I have numerous serious sensitivities to foods and solvents thanks to fibromyalgia/ME so I started to look more carefully at what we had been eating in France.
Most of what we ate there were fresh fruit and veg, Shaar gluten free bread (that I can get at home) and good quality meats. Our diet was quite different. And yes, we loved moules and I also am quite fond of snails. We were eating a lot cleaner.
 |
| Missy showing me how to use a mussel shell to pick out the flesh. We love les moules frites. |
I hadn't thought about all the additives in our food at home. I know I can't eat gluten, wheat, pulses, or anything onion family along with a few vegetables that, erm, produce wind. Not to mention, no alcohol! But I hadn't looked at the E numbers in any great detail. Oh my goodness, our food is chocked full of them. And to think I thought that we ate fairly well as most of our food is home cooked and we have lots of fruit and veg.
With Matt's help, we paired our food right back to the basics. I don't buy processed foods at all any more for myself and very little for Matt and Missy. It took many weeks of cutting all these additives out of my diet as well as the many foods I had already cut out before I noticed any change. Then it was profound.
I have been getting severe headaches (meningitis type ones) 1-3 times a week for ten years. They last between 3 and 10 days and often I get one attack on top of another as they switch to the other side of my head. I was lucky if I had a small handful of days each month with less pain. I never had a pain free day.
This was such a profound discovery. I am now having more and more better days where I feel like me and not Mr Hyde. I even get some pain free days. Every weekend now Matt and I batch cook for the week and freeze a load of meals for days when I'm too sick to cook. I now choose to go without on my bad days rather than eat convenience food and get more sick. I would rather starve. Besides, I've got plenty of reserves to keep me going!
This was the turning point for me. Without constant attacks I actually feel like me, the person I like. During an attack I feel a personality switch, hence Mr Hyde. I was very depressed and anxious all the time. By avoiding triggers and eating clean I'm me more often and I can feel the depression lifting. The old adage of 'You are what you eat' couldn't have been made more obvious to me.
So I feel that a new chapter in my life is starting. One that's making me question a lot more about the way we live and how it's making us sick. I'm at the beginning of my journey but am so glad that I took the first steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment