Raw Milk, Saunas and Carbs!

New tropical plants for the house make me happy. Here: avocado and calamondin citrus

For the past two weeks, I have been doing the following, not strictly, but as much as possible:

• Going to bed by 10 p.m.

• Not moisturizing my hands or my body. In fact, I’ve hardly put any coconut oil or even makeup on. I went to work on the airplane for the first time ever with no makeup (gasp- the horror!!) and I honestly felt great and confident.

• Taking a 3-minute shower every 3 days, using no soap

• Not washing my hands. I use gloves for washing dishes, going #2, working. If necessary, I wash my fingertips.

• Exercising for an hour a day, making sure to work up a sweat

• Drinking no more than a liter of liquids a day (and I’m not counting the water in my food)

• Drinking raw milk. I’ve heard many people talk about the benefits of raw milk for eczema and allergies. I’m on day seven of drinking it every day and, combined with the other things I’m doing, I am seeing improvement!
  

I also have made some lifestyle changes in the past couple of months including generally not drinking alcohol, sticking with my morning meditation and making time to get sunlight.

I would say my hands are looking better today than they were, and a couple of friends have said the same thing. I used a sauna this weekend and was nervous about what kind of reaction I’d have to the moisture. It doesn’t seem like the sauna hurt my situation at all, maybe because it was my own sweat. I was very careful to not be abrasive with them so that the loose, wet skin wouldn’t tear. They are definitely not healed yet but let’s just say, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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I finally had my initial consultation with the functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner! He will be helping me address the root cause of my skin issues by way of healing the gut microbiome. A few days before, he had seen my food journal and began by saying two things:

-Cut out nuts, seeds, beans and grains. Here's his podcast on why. (Apple Podcast here.)

-Quit it with the low-carbohydrate diet!

I about cried tears of joy. Intuitively, I know carbs are good for me. I feel a lot happier when I eat them, they fill me up, and they’re delicious. I had begun eating a low-carb diet, as a few people have recommended animal-based or carnivore diet for healing skin issues. The FDN-P said that low-carb will mess you up long term, especially as a woman. Eating honey, fruit and organic Basmati rice are great options. I know people have differing opinions on this, but at the end of the day, there's no one right way for everybody.

As far as avoiding nuts, seeds, beans and grains: I had avoided most of these during my leaky gut protocol, but a) didn't understand why and b) still ate a lot of nuts that I had thought were okay, because I soaked and dehydrated them before eating. I miss gluten! I'll put up a separate post of how the consultation went.

But missing gluten leads me to my next topic...

Cassava! This is my current favorite carb. I was first introduced to this starchy tuber when I lived in the Caribbean where it is a staple. They call it manioc, and they make flour out of it and celebrate its cultural heritage dating back to either the indigenous or Arawaks. It is also called yuca or tapioca. Many of the alternative to gluten-filled products use almonds or other nuts and seeds. I couldn't find a protein bar at the natural health food store that cut out grains, nuts AND seeds. Cassava has proven to be the best alternative - it's in Siete grain-free chips, it's great as a flour alternative, and it's delicious boiled like a potato. Now I wish I had paid more attention to it when I was living on the island!

I’ll be making some manioc bread or cakes soon… stay tuned!