You Are What You Eat, I am Living Proof

I know this saying is old, but it has become increasingly clear to me recently.  Way back in 2011, I was diagnosed with an allergy to wheat.  Since then I have avoided anything that contained wheat.  It wasn’t easy, but I have grown accustomed to it.  So apparently has my body.

In December 2018, my husband and I tried out the keto diet as one of our sons was doing it and we were on vacation with him and his family.  After a few weeks of experimenting with that, we altered the strict keto version to what I call a “modified keto.”  We consume lots of fats, but the good, omega-3 kind.  We don’t restrict vegetables or fruits, AKA the good carbs. We avoid processed foods that contain lots of sugar and preservatives and consume lots of protein but stick to the lean and non-processed variety.

In March 2020, those good habits flew out the window with the arrival of COVID-19 isolation recommendations.  Feeling sorry for ourselves (missing our kids and grandkids) or bored, or both, we began the slippery slope to snacking and TV binging.

When Easter festivities were canceled due to social distancing measures, I still cooked a big dinner and baked delicious goodies, but divvied (most of) it up and dropped off care packages and Easter baskets to our sons’ respective doorsteps for their families to enjoy.  Usually, when I bake for family gatherings I include one or two gluten-free varieties.  Not this year, unfortunately for me.  Instead, I snacked on the wheat-laden goodies, limiting myself to half a cookie per day to avoid the stomach problems associated with my wheat allergy.

Shortly after Easter, the goodies were gone from our home, but the bumps on my scalp, one of the pre-wheat allergy diagnosis symptoms, were back.   As was the bloating, fatigue, and general lethargy, not to mention a few extra pounds. All the things I had worked so hard to eliminate!

If that doesn’t prove “you are what you eat” I don’t know what does.

Photo by Trang Doan, via Pexels