Fuel. Flare. Food.

Once I got to college, I had weird skin stuff here and there– nothing alarming and nothing consistent. Then in my early 20’s it began as a rash on my biceps that was attributed to considerable heat while I was on a mission trip. But it didn’t go away. Then it moved to my hands where the rash, blisters, and redness intensified. I was even asked at one point if I was a burn victim. Doctors would prescribe steroids, which would take it away, but once the course of medication was over, it would all return.

Years later, at 25, nothing had helped. I had done some reading on food allergies and decided to try one last thing: cut gluten out of my diet. As much as I loved bread and pasta, it was worth a shot. Within 4 days, my hands were healing and soon they were back to normal.

Flares ups still happened from time to time, especially if I ended up using soap that contained gluten or if I came in contact with something I shouldn’t, but avoiding gluten since 2009 has taught me so much about food.

Eventually, my skin started flaring again, despite my consistency with a gf diet. I tried identifying foods that just don’t agree with my body and found that squash and melons don’t like me. I still couldn’t figure out what was going on, so I had testing done and was identified as having the SSA antibody, an autoimmune marker found in individuals with Sjogren’s, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Since I do not have the symptoms of those yet, I went on a quest in 2016 to make sure it stayed that way. For 8 months, I was on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. It is an extreme form of paleo that does not include seeds, nuts, eggs, or nightshades.

So, for that time period, I did NOT eat the following:
-gluten
-dairy
-eggs
-soy
-shellfish (due to an allergy)
-nuts
-seeds
-nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, white potatoes, etc.)— I’m starting to reintroduce some of these, but not white potatoes
-legumes
-melon, grapes, oranges, grapefruit
-squash (except spaghetti squash)

The goal with AIP is to continue to reintroduce foods that the body can handle after having taken the time to heal. I saw positive changes, but ended up reintroducing all my old foods once we returned home from China. I was too busy and tired to keep up with all the food prep. Now, after a year of eating anything but gluten, it’s back to whole foods and staying away from what I know doesn’t like me (cucumbers! WHAT?!).

This has been a crazy journey. Even though there have definitely been tears and frustration, it has turned out to be a blessing. I have learned so much about how my bodies respond to what I eat, and I now know how to make decisions about food that leave me feeling at my best!