Busting Nutrition Myths on Proteins, Fats and Dairy
There are so many iterations on my path in being sick, and my path to becoming well. Every healing layer has helped me to see the possibilities in their fullest for me to become the best version of myself. Most of you know I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, or Graves Disease. I was in tremendous physical and psychological pain for a few years as I dealt with this; not knowing what was really happening, and being misdiagnosed twice. Shortly after my diagnosis and treatment, I went off the medication to treat the thyroid and have never again used it. I would say at this point, I have healed my thyroid. I feel amazing, and am walking proof of the healing you too can have. If you have taken a class of mine, you’ve heard me share it takes an average of 5 to 6 doctors and 5 years to receive a diagnosis for autoimmune. Too many of us suffer too long! Then we are given our choice of: medications, steroids, surgeries and radiation to deal with our suffering. Next we are told we can never truly heal and that what autoimmunity is, is our own body attacking us. Many people I talk to give up hope on the opportunity to see the possibility to heal. We can feel adrift, lose faith that the body is designed to heal, and forget we deserve a pain free life. I get this, although I never have given up because I’ve always known there is a natural approach to everything.
My experience of hyperthyroid left me feeling ravenous after an hour or two of a large protein-filled meal. I was anxious and crying every time I sat down to eat. Anger and grief rolled into every couple of hours, as my blood sugar dipped. I felt alone, abandoned, and like no matter what I tried, I suffered. My partner and I fought, and he thought I was crazy. I had more problems with work and the people I worked with. I had headaches 5 days a week, and my neck and back were severely tense at all times. I had to eat before bed so I could sleep, and sometimes awoke in the night, needing to eat to get back to sleep. When that happened, I ate cheese.
Since then, I’ve learned not only do people need to get off gluten if they have an autoimmune condition, but they also need to cut out dairy. Once I researched how hard dairy is on the body, it was easy to let it go. I say that as someone who ate cheese every day. Yes, I was a cheeseaholic, and easily said goodbye, never to return. And, I don’t feel deprived either. You see, I thought that eating raw cheese was okay, and whole unsweetened yogurt was also healthy. Many schools of thought establish this in the autoimmune and holistic nutrition community. But, dairy is not our friend. Dairy causes phlegm, dampness and congestion of the lymph in the body. The burden on the lymph system makes it difficult to properly clear out toxins. We live in a toxic world and no matter how careful we are with our diet, all of us have overburdened livers. This is from toxins in the air, water, food and products we are exposed to. For those of us with chronic illness, we have toxicity in our bodies that needs release.
When we continue to burden the liver with the wrong foods, a secondary autoimmune condition can begin. This is why removing all the trigger foods matters. I myself developed a skin condition that has remained, despite years of previous diets targeted to heal what appeared to be a fungal infection. I also started to have more and more food sensitivities. My teeth also suffered from the eating in the night and I had many cavities from the acid coming up in my mouth as I slept because I had eaten and then laid back down. I believe continuing to eat meat, nuts, eggs and dairy was what brought this on. We have been sold a lie that says to get enough protein, we must eat meat, dairy and eggs and we couldn’t possibly get enough from plants. After more research and experimenting on myself, I now know plants are full of protein. I have been off meat for 3 months now, and eating only veggies and fruits for over a month. Furthermore, I only use about 2 teaspoons of seeds or nuts and 1 avocado a day. I can honestly say I have incredible energy and am full of vitality! I’m not advocating that everyone must go all plant-based. I do believe the path to healing requires a plant-based cleanse for a period of time. However, once you have healed, small amounts of nuts, seeds and meat can be added in.
When I believed the protein myth, I thought I was following a healthy diet. This is the paleo autoimmune protocol that many practitioners advocate. I had researched well, and was proud that I followed in the footsteps of functional doctors I admire. I do believe there is value in taking grains out of the diet for some time. My gut has healed to the point where I reintroduced gluten-free grains and do well with them (when not cleansing). However, the amount of protein and fat from meat and nuts were a burden to my liver. You too, can heal more deeply by eating a more plant-based diet. There is more to understanding the fats and toxicity and to healing. I will share in my next newsletter. Stay tuned!
Until then, Be well!
Tanya