with everything going on with me, doing a lot of research, and consulting with my doctor i have made some pretty significant changes in my daily diet. prior to getting diagnosed with anemia due to low iron, b12, and folate (vitamin deficient) I was eating very healthy, following a pretty "primal/paleo" diet, but in retrospect wasn't eating enough to support my training workload. i was still kind of curios as to why i had low iron, b12, and folate. I eat quite a bit of iron in red meat, spinach, and veggies. I take a multivitamin and i also take a b12/folic acid supplement to aid with revovery... and the levels were all still really low.
my doctor wanted me to start eating more... both carbs and protein. so i did. I started incorporating a lot more sprouted wheat bread, wheat tortillas, wheat english muffins and rice into my diet. i was eating this stuff before but a lot less frequently and only in small amounts. i started getting some vicisous, daily stomach aches.... more than usual. I have dealt with stomach issues for years but never really did anything about it because i thought it was just how my body worked, but with all the added wheat products they were getting way worse.
so after reading up on food allergies and symptoms i found some interesting information. one thing that stuck out was that a lot of people with celiacs or a gluten intolerance can suffer from vitamin deficiency form of anemia ( low iron, b12, and folate), which is what i was suffering from. this is due to your intestines being inflamed/unhealthy and unable to absorb nutrients. so after doing even more research and talking with my doctor for the hundredth time (she loves me! haha) we decided to eliminate gluten/wheat from my diet and schedule some allergy testing.
as of right now I am about 4 weeks into a gluten/wheat free diet and will be getting a full spectrum of allergy tests later this month. avoiding gluten has actually been very easy for me. there are tons option out there and it was pretty fun hitting the stores in search for some new foods. i will be honest though... i have been drinking beer occasionally, but thankfully it hasn't been affecting my gut. i even bought some gluten free beers. their not bad but c'mon... they are no san diego style IPA!
i immediately noticed changes when i eliminated the gluten/wheat a couple of weeks ago. no late day bloating, gas, or stomach aches... i mean none and after dealing with this on a pretty much daily basis for years I was kind of taken back. like it was too good to be true. beth is probably as stoked as i am because I am not stinking up the house daily/nightly (sorry... but it's true), my energy levels are way up, my recovery from work outs is going better than it has in months, but i still have my fingers crossed.
i am hoping i found one of the causes of what let me to my delpleted/overtrained state. only time will tell.. and the allergy tests hopefully will also shed some light.
I don't think i have celiacs, but i think there is a possibility i could have gluten intolerance and maybe a wheat allergy.
so my plan to start posting more on Vo2 Maxxed with what i am doing with my diet, what i am doing for nutrition before, during, and after training while avoiding gluten/wheat. some of it's going to be tough but i have no problem being a picky eater... i have been for years!
there will still be plenty of orginial style Vo2 Maxxed recipes but just without the gluten/wheat (for now).
I have also found a lot of good information regarding anit-inflammatory diets that I am finding very interesting. check out the links below.
http://blog.firstendurance.com/2009/06/anti-inflammatory-foods/
http://www.velonews.com/article/91925
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7 comments:
It must feel pretty awesome to have cracked the code on your gut issues.
You gotta wonder how many people out there don't ever figure these things out and live their whole lives feeling crappy and not knowing the difference.
i'm just glad the death farts are gone.
Great post! I did some reading up on gluten-free diets earlier this year when VdV was talking about it. I have no idea what I'd eat if I didn't eat rice/quinoa/bread ;) But, the anti-inflammatory diet totally sounds like a good idea.
Can't wait to see some recipes/food info from you on this!
HAHA! Death farts! Now that might be a sport I could medal in.
JW - are you keeping a food log.
Hi, I love your recipes in this blog. Just wanted to let you know of some good GF ones that help me. I suffered with colitis and a Gluten Allergy for years. It's important to eat enough meat and fish but get some good "grains," too.
Actually it's best not to eat ANY real grains (ie. oats and rice), even if you're not allergic, because your gut is still healing. That doesn't mean cut out carbs, just eat what are called the "Super Seeds": Quinoa, Millet, Amaranth, Buckwheat (not wheat at all), and REAL wild rice (the stuff that is all black and long).
Check out the Body Ecology Diet for some fantastic advice.
I make Amaranth "Grits" with poached eggs, hot sauce (watch out for grain vinegar) and roasted veggies. Or mix dry buckwheat with beaten egg and cook like rice (Jewish style), serve with mushroom gravy. You can make millet mashed potatoes by blending them with olive oil, salt and cauliflower. I make wild rice salads with raw veggies and chicken breasts (toss cold with vinaigrette) . There's always quinoa tabouleh (add chickpeas).
Hope you're on your way to feeling great and no more death farts! Lauren
Good to hear. Amy and I have really cut back our carbs, cut out wheat, and I think are better for it. More fat as well. I think that you'll be happy with the way things progress.
I know this is a belated post/comment but I have celiac and suffered a lot with what you described. The gluten free diet really has been beneficial in training too. Goodluck to you and there is a ton of gf stuff out there especially if you already eat meat/fish etc.
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