Food Elimination = Detox Downer

I have now been on my intolerance-free diet for 2 weeks. The main difference to what I was eating before is that I'm not having my daily eggs, dairy and yeast. What I hadn't realised is the effect that removing those intolerances can have on your system and the ups and downs you will feel as your body clears out the built up intolerances. Last week was not a great week!!

When you have been regularly eating something you're intolerant to, not only does this trigger a reaction by your immune system to fight the 'bad' food but your digestive system is also not able to digest the 'bad' food properly and this leaves a toxic residue which is stored in your body's cells. Once your cells reach saturation point and can't hold any more residue, the toxic residue stays in your bloodstream and causes health issues such as IBS, arthritis, headaches and allergies. When you stop eating the foods you're intolerant to then your immune system is not constantly being activated to deal with 'bad' foods and within 5 days of not having those foods, your brain will register that it is safe to start clearing out the toxic residue. When the cells start releasing their stores of residue, this flood of toxins into the blood can make you feel really ill for about 4 days until the residue has been cleared from the blood. Once the blood is clear again, this triggers the brain again and more residue is released and so on until it's all out of your system. This can apparently take up to 2 months, although you don't feel as ill with each successive 'toxic dump'.

I hadn't realised that this could happen so last Sunday when I started to feel totally spaced-out, achy and feverish with indigestion and an upset stomach I just presumed I'd picked up a virus from somewhere. When no cold developed by the next day I started to wonder if it was related to the food elimination and then remembered a book I have called The Body Talks by Judy Cole. How could I have forgotten this book? Judy Cole's research found that many health problems and weight issues stem from food intolerances and not eating nutritionally balanced meals, plus she advocates a low starch diet which is exactly what I have been following for the past 3 years since I read that immunology researchers at Middlesex Hospital in England had found a low-statch diet could help Ankylosing Spondylitis. Cole's book clearly explains the impact of food intolerances (which is where my brief summary above comes from) and the symptoms of Cellular Detox (detox of your cells). It was reassuring to read not only that what I was feeling was part of process but it also clearly demonstrated that the foods I've cut out must have been damaging my system otherwise I wouldn't have had any toxins to expel!

The Cellular Detox should last up to 2 months by which time your immune system should be starting to heal because it's not being overloaded on a daily basis by foods it needs to fight. The complete healing of the immune system can take up to 3 months but if at any time in your life you start to regularly eat your intolerant foods again then the whole residue build-up and ill health will start again. It doesn't mean I can never eat eggs or dairy again, but once I've finished the 2 months I can try them and see how my body feels. If I have no adverse reaction, I should still never have them more than once in 5 days because that is how long it can take foods to be digested, pass all round the body and then be excreted. By leaving a minimum of 5 days between having eggs (for example), I can be sure that my system is clear of any tiny amount of toxic residue before having them again - by having them more often, there won't be time for the previous residue to clear before more is added, then more, then more....back to square 1.

The past 2 weeks have gone very quickly so the next 6 will fly by. I really miss butter for cooking since it is more natural and safe (in moderation) than cooking oils which contain artery-clogging trans-fats and I miss eggs with my bacon on a Friday morning but apart from that the new diet is not a major issue. One thing that could really interest a lot of people is that by losing all the toxins you also lose weight and cellulite. After I stopped eating wheat / cereal products 3 years ago all my cellulite disappeared. That alone is a good reason to try it out!