Yep, I took the plunge and am doing the Whole30. I have heard so many great things about Whole30 and a lot of negative things as well, so I wanted to explain why I am doing Whole30.
Being Sick
For as long as I can remember I have suffered from chronic sinusitis, basically, I was sick all the time. Sinus headaches & runny noses were (and really still are) the norm for me. About every other month I would get a full on sinus infection and about twice a year this would lead to bronchitis. No joke, I have been on hundreds of antibiotics and steroids.
After college, I saw an ENT in Atlanta and learned I had a deviated septum & blocked sinus, but since I was moving to DC and starting my first job, it was not ideal timing for surgery. Two years ago, I finally decided enough was enough and visited an ENT here in Denver. I was indeed a good candidate for sinus surgery but my Dr. also wanted to do allergy testing for my constantly runny nose. Turns out, I’m allergic to basically everything including dogs! Terrible news.
With my allergies, deviated septum and blocked sinus, I was an ideal candidate for surgery. So last March I had the surgery. Not long after my surgery, I was sick again, and again and again. I had gotten the surgery to stop being sick and taking so many freaking antibiotics but I wasn’t seen the results.
Food Allergy Testing
Next step? Food Allergy Testing! I did an ALCAT testing through my Allergist and I went all out. I did the full 600-panel test.
I had already done a lot of googling and read stories of people giving up Dairy and having their sinus issues vastly improved. So I had already convinced myself I was allergic to dairy. Turns out, I am! I’m allergic to literally everything!
Now, I am not anaphylactic to any of the foods on this list, but I do have a strong intolerance and each one of them can affect you differently. You may think Dairy allergy means lactose, but it can also mean you have an intolerance to dairy proteins Casein & Whey. When you have an intolerance to these your body feels as though you are being attacked and starts producing mucus – HELLO a runny nose & sinus pressure!
Other foods are inflammatory (sinus pressure), some cause stomach issues, some cause you to acene, some cause headaches and some cause joint pain and arthritis.
Elimination Time
So, after food allergy testing what do you do? Well, you are supposed to eliminate the foods you are reactive to form your diet for THREE to SIX months and then slowly reintroduce them back into your diet and see how you feel. So I needed to eliminate Sugar, Dairy, Gluten, Barley, Garlic, Sunflower, Black Beans, Tarragon & Swiss Chard and a few more, COOL.
What’s a really popular diet that follows basically all those guidelines? Whole30!
I see Whole30 as a great kickstart to the elimination diet, that I desperately need to do. I mean yall know how much cheese I eat!? The Whole30 30 Day Guide to eating gives you a great intro to why you might want to eliminate certain foods, how to grocery shop, what to cook and how to meal plan. There are also 100s of online resources. So it’s a lot easier to search Whole30 meals than “no sugar, no dairy, no gluten and barley dinner ideas”.
My Goal
My goal (dream) is that after 30 days, I don’t have to carry tissues with me at all times, I don’t get a sinus headache once a week, I don’t sound nasslly (as my mom claims). Plus, I wanna see if I can do it and learn to cook.
Now, will I eat Dairy, Gluten, and Sugar again – HELL YES! But I will be smarter and indulge within reason. I will not be gorging on pizza, Blue Gatorade, Combos and Chai Tea… daily. I mean hello I am going to Italy & France this summer!
I don’t plan on posting a lot about the Whole30 but I will do a follow-up post at the end of my 30 days.
I’d love to hear yall’s experience with allergies and whole30 and if you love it or hate it!
