Paleo Changes You: Your Body Lets You Know Quickly When You Are Intolerant of a Food

     The year was 2013, and I was very unhappy. I had just gotten my second degree from Troy University. I had a promotion at work. I had lost 50 pounds. We were living in a nice place. My kids were thriving. My relationship was better than ever with Ray, but I was miserable. Every day, I itched. I scratched. My skin was in a constant state of irritation. I was diagnosed with rosacea. I had the worst flu that I'd had in a while. I absolutely hated the way I looked and felt.

     I was desperate for a change.

     Then I found a few different things to try. I did an elimination diet, and found out I was allergic to peanuts. And let me tell you, up to that point, I was enthusiastic about eating peanut butter. I ate it every day. I craved it. It was amazing how cutting out that one food made so much difference. I felt so much better. I looked so much better. The rosacea cleared up almost completely. I could breathe better. I wasn't always itching and scratching. My nose wasn't constantly running. Life became brighter and more wonderful.

     I was hooked.

     I started researching how foods affect our health, how humans were meant to eat, and I was amazed that it could really be that easy to feel and look better. And once you start feeling better, it becomes much easier to tell when a food throws you off and makes you feel bad.

     I've been doing some studying lately on Ayurveda. In this system of health care, they emphasize balance within the body. They talk about the importance of food and exercise on our health. They even claim that if your follow Ayurveda, you will not only get sick less often and be sick for a shorter duration, but you will also know when your health is out of balance because you'll be aware of something not quite right within your being. This is also the sort of results I've seen with eating Paleo.

     I believe this is a result of having far less inflammation. When you eat foods that were never really meant for human consumption, your body responds with systemic inflammation. Eat this way all the time, and all you experience is inflammation. Just remember, if it ends in -itis, it's inflammation: arthritis, sinusitis, gastritis, bronchitis, etc. But cut the foods out that cause inflammation, and your body has the time to heal and repair, instead of fighting the flames within. Once you get to a level where you're rarely inflamed, when you eat something that throws you off, you know it.

     In fact, I had been reading where macadamia nuts are one of the best nuts you can eat because of their fat profile, and I saw a canister of them. I love macadamia nuts, so I bought them. After eating a small handful, my hands had swollen, my face was broken out, and my nose was so stuffy, I could barely breathe. I used to eat Ferrero Rocher about once every couple of months, and I'd eat about three at the time. While I'm sad that I have that reaction to macadamia nuts, I know about it, and I can choose to eat them and suffer (on rare occasions), or I can leave them alone and feel better.

     Personally, I'd rather feel better.