Re: Doctor's orders?

[Guest guest]

There are some really expensive tests you can get to find out if you are actually "reactive" to a certain food. think the test is the ELISA test but don't quote me on it. Some people try an elimination diet where they eat clean and then slowly add in "bad" foods and see how they feel physically and emotionally after eating them. I, too, was on the whole naturopathic road, eating vegan, no gluten, no dairy, etc... I had my son on it too to try to prevent chronic ear infections.

While it was probably super healthy, it was also extremely restrictive, we could never eat at parties or social occasions, I was obsessed with food and trying to find ways to create dairy free, sugar free "clean" desserts in my vitamix. My eating habits were literally equivalent to a part-time job. I was always worried about my B-12 levels, etc. I ate pounds of greens each day but never really felt excited about life. I was jealous of the people who just casually could go out to lunch and eat a sandwich and move on with their day.

While doing intuitive eating, I feel so much more calm. I feel my body is healing itself due to the huge reduction in calories it has to process each day. While eating clean, I was NEVER satisfied, so I ate huge volumes. I felt like eating all the time. If I made a lentil soup for dinner, it would take such a huge portion to calm my hunger. I would binge on dates with raw cashews. Nowadays, I can eat half a cup of spaghetti with pesto ( initial reaction: OMG!! White flour, gluten!!!! Call the police!!! ) and feel satisfied, light, energetic.

I felt exhausted all the time when I was a strict eater. I still get inflammation in my joints if I overdo it on high-gluten foods but usually it is because I am NOT listening to my body. As soon as I start paying attention again, I realize I am craving greens or citrus, etc. and by the next day the pain is gone. Please know, this is just my personal story...I am by no means telling you what to eat or what advice to take. Just my observations about myself.

When I listen carefully to my body, I really do crave both clean and "bad" foods. It is about 50/50. But I honestly do crave brussel sprouts, salad, fruit, etc which is a sign my body knows what it is doing.

I have just begun the IE path a couple of weeks ago, and already feel so much more connected with my hunger levels, taste sensations and experiencing real satisfaction and less fear about eating or not eating something.But I saw my naturopathic doctor this morning, and she told me again that she feels strongly that I should be doing a "very clean diet" - no sugar, white flour, no processed or fried foods and have lightly steamed vegetables only. This is not just for weight loss, but to help me lower high levels of inflammation that I have throughout my system.Well, upon hearing this, of course what I want to do is EAT! I feel I am really finally on the right track, in terms of healing my relationship with food, which I believe will result in the weight loss that I so very much want to attain.I just really don't know what to do... right now I am thinking that maybe I could make attempts to eat less "inflammatory" foods, but then I know I am back to diet mentality and not trusting my body to tell me what it is hungry for.Has anyone else had to contend with doctor's giving advice that is contrary to the IE journey, and if so, how have you dealt with it?Thanks so much for your feedback.P.S. My doctor also said that most people tend to crave foods they are actually allergic to! Sigh...

One site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Try it now.