anxiety | Happy Yogis

Good Digestion Starts Here: Chronic Conditions

Posted by Elle on Jul 26, 2012 | 0 comments

I know what you are thinking. You think I’m going to write to you about fiber and probiotics and drinking lots of water. Nope. That isn’t the problem. There is absolutely no reason why your body needs five tons of flax-seed to function properly. And no, you don’t just have a “sensitive” intestine tract or a misfiring colon. There are many reasons for your digestive ailments and here is where to start. This is part one if my digestive blog series focusing specifically on chronic cases. We will eventually work our way down to the every day ailments.

Let’s cut to the chase. If you have any of the following chronic or persistent challenges, you could have a food allergy:

Digestive Disorders: Abdominal pain, constipation, Diarrhea, Gas, Heartburn, Acid Reflux, IBS, nausea, indigestion
Emotional Imbalances: Anxiety, Depression
Respiratory Conditions: Allergies, Asthma, Congestion, Sinusitis
Behavioral Disorders: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Mental Fogginess
Skin Disorders: Eczema, Psoriasis, Canker Sores
Physical Ailments: Arthritis, Autoimmune disorders, Ear infections, Headaches & Migraines, Joint Pain
Other: Anemia, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Insomnia, other

Pretty comprehensive list right? That is straight from the doc that finally unraveled my gluten, dairy, and egg allergies and I just couldn’t believe it when I read it. I never realized I had food allergies until last year despite having migraines, ear infections, indigestion, and anxiety throughout my childhood (My first indicator was that I was colicky as an infant). It wasn’t until I started having intense abdominal pain that I decided to get to the bottom of it. Even then I waited until the pain was to the severity that I thought I had appendicitis.

Some people might take a look at the list and say, “Nope, not me!” but here is why food allergies are so sneaky: You may not have symptoms of food allergies until 1-3 days after eating it! AND it only requires a tiny bit. You may think that because you only drink a smidge of milk in your coffee from time to time it wouldn’t be enough to cause a problem. It is. If I had a drip of milk once, I would be in pain for 7-9 days starting 2 days after drinking the milk! Totally intense. And it’s not like milk causes one kind of reaction and wheat causes another. Milk could give you a bout of anxiety one day and major fatigue the next. This is because allergies are an immune response. Your body is trying to fight something off and is getting tired from doing it.

Why Do We Have Food Allergies?

I believe it is because of our melting pot culture. Up until 100-200 years ago, we lived in the same region that our ancestors lived in for thousands of years. Since transportation was slow and unruly, we didn’t get very far. People that grew up in Norway and Sweden ate fish and veggies. Europeans ate oils, meat, cream, and pasta. Asian countries ate raw fish, spices, rice. If every one of your ancestors ate the same way passed down through the generations, how can we expect to eat Mexican for lunch and sushi for dinner and be fine? We might not have evolved to be able to do that.

Another contributing factor I believe is overexposure. Wheat and milk are in EVERYTHING. Oh, and they just so happen to be the two post popular allergens. Imagine that. Prepackaged or processed foods mean you are getting a heavy dose of one kind of food over and over again. Take a look. I bet you anything that you eat wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, or soy every single day, if not every meal. Your body is going to hate you if you only give it one thing over and over again – that’s how an allergy develops! We didn’t used to eat this way. 100-200 years ago we ate what was fresh in the market and cooked everything from scratch. Variety was the spice of life and we rarely cooked the same thing twice. When I spent a semester in Paris my host mom made a different meal every night for four months. I don’t just mean a different meal, I mean sometimes there were organ meats, hoofs, or what looked like an entire parrot sitting on the table. A bit extreme, but you get my point.

Get Results, Get Tested

If one of the ailments I mentioned above is already plaguing you to the extreme, get tested. I went to the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle and got squared away. It was totally worth it. One piece of advice: If you aren’t willing to change your lifestyle for the sake of your health, there is no point in spending the money (or reading this blog), you will just have to live with your ailments for the rest of your life.

DIY: Elimination Diet

If you have some time to try to figure it out, try an elimination diet. Be warned: It took me 6 months of not eating my allergens before I started feeling great and it definitely got way worse before getting better. So if you decide to go with the elimination diet, the only way it will work is if you be hardcore about it and commit. Some of you may feel better immediately, and some won’t for months, the only way to really truly know without spending the big bucks is to buckle down.

Alright, here is the drill: You need to cut out ALL of the following for two months:

Gluten (wheat, barley, rye). Yes this includes beer.
Dairy (Milk, butter, cream, yogurt, etc)
Eggs
Soy
Nuts
Corn

To be successful at this, your best bet is to cook from scratch, not go out to eat, and maybe know someone else who will do it with you. If anything says “natural flavor” avoid it. Beware of things like chapstick and licking envelopes. This is way hard and if you ever cheat because you are on vacation or something looks yummy, you will never know and might as well just get tested. You might cry at Whole Foods. Its ok. If you need help with recipes- look at my recipe collection on Pinterest.

If your symptoms have left the building after two months- YAY!! You know you have a food allergy. Now start finding out which one it is: Eat gluten one day and wait a week to see if your symptoms come back. If they do, you know what one of your allergens is, continue to avoid it. If they don’t, add it back into your diet if you would like to. Repeat for dairy, eggs, and so on. Just remember to try them one at a time since you may be suffering from multiple.

If you don’t get better you might have some obscure allergies (hint, it is usually the thing you eat the most of!). I am also allergic to cranberries, cashews, and beans which I never would have discovered on an elimination diet. At this point you have two options:You can go full on Paleo (which eliminates most of the other allergens) or you can get tested.

Regardless of which path you choose, you are making a step towards recovery and that is an important accomplishment. There are many people in this world who would rather keel over on the sidewalk rather than avoid cheese. Health is up to you and you should be stoked that you are on your way! Let me know how your journeys are going!

Talk to you soon!

The Benefits and Consequences of our Favorite Vices

Posted by Elle on May 1, 2012 | 1 comment

We all have our addictions

We drink coffee to wake ourselves up, have a piece of chocolate to fend off the 3pm blues, savor a glass of wine at the end of the day to unwind, and maybe we buy oursleves something pretty for a pick-me-up from time-to-time. Ok so maybe we don’t do ALL of these things everyday, but the point is that we rely on our vices. My husband Garret has an on/off relationship with his one vice per day rule- as in if he has coffee in the morning, no wine with supper. I think that rule is generally a good rule of thumb depending on the circumstances, but everyone’s body is different so a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t the way to go here.

We can all agree that coffee, chocolate, & wine all have loads of benefits

They are all major sources of antioxidants, can amp you up for a workout, calm your nerves, and provide a moment of comfort. The list can go on and on. If you are experiencing nothing but positive results, keep it up! Your body is loving it! However if any of the below side effects hit close to home it might be time to re-asses. For example, my eye was twitching uncontrollably for about a month until I realized it was time to cut back on caffeine! (That’s not pretty!)

Here is the rundown (alphabetically):

Anxiety: Caffeine can give you more than just the jitters. If you are experiencing anxiety, herbal teas might be better suited for you than coffee (especially camomile! Super soothing!). I still see no problem with wine though. Its a good way to relax those nerves and unwind your day.
Insomnia: Once again this is where caffeine can be hurting you regardless of what time you are drinking it (or eating it if your addiction is laced with chocolate!). Cut back on all caffeine or energy sources (red bull, 5-hour energy, etc).
Digestive trouble: Too Slow: Coffee is a natural stimulant and helps get things moving along in a pinch. The more you drink coffee though the more your body requires it (just like a stimulant laxative). FORTUNATELY coffee is WAY easier to get off of than laxatives (see below). If your constipation is chronic- you might be allergic to something your are eating. Get tested. Too Fast: Try laying off ALL of these things! If you have diarrhea that is more than just occasional, you could be allergic to something you are eating. Get tested.
Low Energy: Ditch sugar and coffee- they are making you lethargic! Your body is constantly adjusting to stimulants and leaves you exhausted once you crash. Give yourself some slack on the alcohol too. Pretty much all of these stimulants can leave you low on fuel.
Eye twitches, muscle spasms: Definitely could be caffeine. And stress too. Time for some relaxation!
Heart palpitations, flutters, skipping a beat, racing heart: All of these are insanely influenced by caffeine. If you find that your heart is flip flopping around lately, laying off the stimulants could be all it takes to get you back in gear.
Hormonal changes such as getting off the birth control pill or menopause: Ditch sugar! It major messes with your hormones and can aid the constant ups and downs that you might be experiencing.

There is no need to deprive yourself of something that you love. But here is how to cut back:

It’s super tricky to lay off a vice since there is probably a reason you are using it in the first place. A good tip I took from “French Women Don’t Get Fat” is the principle of moderation. Personally, I drink herbal tea on the weekdays, and treat myself to an espresso on Saturdays and Sundays. I drink wine with dinner probably 3-5 nights a week. And I only eat sugar when its that time of the month. This loose plan means that I enjoy everything I want to without depending on it.

How to cut back on coffee…

…and still not be tired: You will be tired when you are first getting off, but withdrawals are short lived. Pick a weekend when you don’t have a lot going on and stop drinking coffee cold turkey. You’ll get your energy back in under a week in most cases.
…and keep things moving: Start out by drinking your normal cup of coffee in the morning. After dinner put 3-5 prunes in a pot and cover with water. Boil down until the prunes are plump and the water is a murky purple. This is called stewed prunes and it makes a yummy dessert! Once you have this basic recipe down, start playing with it! It is super delicious when boiled along with berries or apricots. And top with honey or cinnamon if you’d like! Sub your coffee for decaf and keep adding more and more prunes (up to about 7) to your dessert. Just make sure you set aside some time to relax, especially at the beginning. Keep in mind that it takes a little bit of time for your body to adjust- but it will!
…and still have a morning routine: Replace it with herbal tea or decaf coffee. Try swapping out your coffee with decaf or herbal tea. If neither of those things interest you in the morning- try choffee- a new chocolate based morning drink without the buzz-its actually really good!

How to cut back on sugar: If you have a premonition that you may have a sugar addition, you could be right. There have been SEVERAL studies showing that addiction to sugar can be absurdly similar to nicotine. Your body is depending on the rush and crash just as with cigarettes. Removing it cold turkey is painful and not sustainable in the long run. Just as with cigarettes you need to cut back slowly. Save sweets for a weekend or have only one square of chocolate after lunch. If you put sugar in your coffee, slowly remove little by little each day until it tastes good black. If you have a major craving- allow yourself a small treat- like one Hershey’s kiss. That way you won’t feel deprived later and allow yourself to binge on a box of cookies for dinner (no one feels good about that!). Think of this stage as the nicorette gum- you are giving yourself less and less of a dose so you don’t crash as hard and can keep cravings from taking over.

How to cut back on alcohol: If you are out with friends, try my trick: I get one glass of wine that I drink sooooo slowly over the course of the evening so it lasts me all night! Or try drinking sparkling water with dinner if you are looking for something with more integrity then plain water. Or put some cucumbers and mint in your water! If you go out for drinks with your friends every night and are looking to cut back- order some bubbly water with lime so you still feel like part of the party!

Hope this helps!! Let me know if you have anything to add!