My Nutrition Challenge

Since Spring is here I have decided to embark on a nutrition challenge. Not a weight loss, bodybuilding or dieting challenge – but a challenge to repopulate the flora in my gut. I’m going to be following the GAPS diet designed by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride. More about the diet further down.

I have a lot of clients embarking on their 12-week challenges from September, so I thought it would be a great time to join them with my specific challenge.

But for now, a bit of background

I was born rather stressed out. It’s not uncommon to find the umbilicus restricting a child’s movement during childbirth, and I was one of these. I also had a cleft palate (without hare-lip) which meant I wasn’t breastfed. There were a couple of other pre-birth factors that also contributed to a poorly formed gut flora population and immune system.

What did all that mean?

Chronic childhood constipation, ridiculously frequent tonsilitis, ear infections and colds and flus. We’re talking once a month for most of my childhood. Add to that lots and lots of antibiotics without probiotic support and little Miss Stacey ended up with a very inflamed and unhappy gut and endless sugar cravings.

But have made some major improvements to my general diet and health since that time.

I no longer get the same abdominal symptoms I used to get and I had my tonsils out and ears cortorised.  So I very rarely get sick.

So why do I need to do a nutrition challenge like this?

Well, it has occurred to me that I live on the thin grey line between health and not so healthy. I moved into a house which is quite damp and gets a bit of mould which I deal to quite well. At the end of last winter I was quite unwell with no real specific cause.  This year I have been aware of this and kept myself well and out of my house a little bit more since I moved into a new office, but here I am again at the end of winter feeling not so sprightly.  I’ve got major sugar cravings and have had general low level sinusy/swollen glandy typeish symptoms. I have a very low level ache in my ears, teeth grinding and low level pain under the ears and into the neck. I use those non medical terms like that as its not a full on cold or flu, so deserves the -y suffix. I can’t tolerate processed foods or sugar very well, and I don’t do well with fruit either. This morning I wondered what my flatmate was spraying around as there was an odd smell. But guess what, it was actually a hot air balloon over 2km away that I was smelling. I am really sensitive to fumes and don’t use perfume because it chokes me.

So although I feel good…I think its only because what I am currently used to, I think I can feel better.  I am only going to know that once I give this nutrition challenge a go.

So, what is this GAPS diet. I encourage you to check out these 2 websites:
http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/gaps-diet/
http://gapsdiet.com/FAQs.html

The full diet is available by book.

I will be updating my diet by blog – tagged GAPS