GAPS diet journal two - an almond in the rough

GAPS diet journal two.  Day 25.

Trials and tribulations.  That is what I should have called this post.  But "an almond in the rough" sounds so much more fun - doesn't it?

While the past 25 days have been a literal non-stop high for my body and my mind, I have had some struggles.  If you are or have been on the GAPS diet, you can relate.  If not, listen up.

The first week or two is hard.  Darn hard.  You feel great, but chicken soup gets old.  Like real old.  Yeah, my parents warned me I'd get sick of it, but I was all "no way, I love chicken soup - I could eat it every single day if I wanted!"  Man was I wrong [and yes, conveniently this made them 'right'].

But that's not the worst of it.

When you take all fiber and most carbohydrates out of your diet, your digestion improves tremendously.  You feel light as a feather.  However, other things don't tend to work so well.  Like the part of your body responsible for making sure what goes in, comes out.  Without getting into too much detail [I think you all know what I am getting at], I will say that there is a solution to this very very common dilemma.

Carrot juice.

Four ounces in the morning.  Four ounces in the evening.  You know that saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Yeah, well, you get the idea.  Make sure you use organic carrots and drink the juice right away, so all enzymes and beneficial bacteria are still intact.

Carrot juice is my friend.  And it would like to be yours too.

Now that you've become acquainted with carrot, meet my friend raw, organic, soaked, sprouted, and dehydrated almond.  I tried hanging out with his cousin raw, organic almond, but things didn't work out.  He was mean.  To my gut.

Marzipan muffins and cookies are one of the only and most cherished treats on this diet and I was determined to be able to eat them [dammit!].  And I succeeded via experimentation [Thank you!].  At this point, I have to accept that my body is just not ready to deal with digesting nuts that haven't been 'pre-digested'.  Oh well.  I guess there are worse things in life.

So I celebrate marzipan treats via Fat Uncle Farms' raw, organic, soaked, sprouted, and dehydrated almonds [that I grind in my Cuisinart to make flour].  Thanks Nate and Becki Siemens - you guys are saviors.

Now if only I could eat those apple peels - wouldn't life be grand?

No, but seriously.  This diet rocks [the gut]!  I tell everyone and anyone who has digestive and/or brain issues to check it out - and you should too.  The book is a great gift for a friend struggling with digestive issues - or a sister battling painful PMS - or a colleague with memory issues.

Until next time...