Just a quick update on the processed food free experiment.
It’s going well.
Really well.
My skin is pretty amazing.
I would share a photo but I have a massive zit on my cheek! I never get spots! This is surely a great sign that my skin is getting more naturally oily and healthy.
I am sleeping better than I have for months.
Every night!
I have had a few mistakes. Went to a friend’s house for a birthday night in and there was plenty of safe food for me including humous, nairns oat cakes, olives, smoked salmon, kettle chips etc. for me to eat but I just had to dig into the beetroot in a tub (not fresh cooked) and the potatoe wedges with herbs. The ingredients looked OK but… they were processed. I didn’t get an allergic reaction but I did get prurigo the next day which is still only just about healing.
Nothing to do with the champagne (broke the one glass of safe wine a night rule that evening). Although I know it could have been the excess alcohol.
But if you can’t have a few mistakes and learn from them you never know what’s causing the problems.
I’ve found a local farmer about two miles down the road and bought a freezer drawer full of beef; minced beef, stewing beef and lovely organic free range chicken from just up the road. You can’t get much more local than that? Check out your local farm shops for locally sourced meat and poultry. The freezer is full of fresh meet and will shortly be full of lovely ready made meals for me to have when I can’t face cooking.
I have been experiencing some stomach problems and loose stools but this does seem to be calming down. Micki Rose of Truly Gluten Free assures me this is quite normal when cutting out foods or changing diet.
I am still finding breakfast a challenge to make interesting.
And cutting out sugar… it pops up in stuff where I least expect it. So I am keeping sugar to a minimum as I don’t have a problem with it, and using honey, molasses and more natural sources to sweeten rather than processed white sugar.
Eating out has also been problematic but on the whole, I’ve had some good meals out and stuck to simple steak and chips. I prefer to avoid eating out if I can because I detest all the planning, questions and checking but meeting with friends and having a great night out is also so good for the soul and spirit that it’s worth the effort every now and then. The Red Lion in Wendover have been very helpful and I’ve had Ham, egg and chips there and steak and chips in the last month and had no adverse reactions. Very tasty food too so I’d recommend them.
Now nearer the end of a full month and I’m beginning to enjoy it.
It’s normal to grab the frying pan or stick a potato in the oven rather than grab the gluten free bread and make a sandwich for lunch. I’m getting better at planning meals, because I have to, and better at cooking. In another few weeks I will see how I get on with the odd slice of GF bread because I do miss my toast. I have plans to try to make some soda bread but this has a disaster in the past.
Here ends this short little ramble but my skin is so much better. I don’t need to moisturise during the day at all. I am still lathering it on every evening and morning but my skin is getting stronger.
And I feel great. I feel happier. My body is a temple… if you ignore the wine and the gin (made the sloe gin batch and couldn’t resist having a glass). I have bought Fever Tree tonic water for this particular treat and have it once a week.
So have a great weekend one and all and let me know how you’re getting on with the processed food free challenge.
Fantastic Ruth, keep up the good work! I’m so pleased that all your hard work is paying off.
Don’t beat yourself up about falling off the wagon from time to time, we all need a little ‘treat’ sometimes. At least now you can see the benefits and that will keep you going. Beware though, soon you will only have a taste for the non-processed stuff, the other foods loose their appeal after a while as they just don’t taste as good as you remember them to be.
Have a good weekend.
Thank you Mindie. My taste buds are changing too. The freefrom rice pop cereal I used to love now tastes sooooo sweet it’s horrible to my palate. I couldn’t finish it. I am eating less, satisfied with smaller portions. It is having a very positive effect on both mine and my husbands health I think. Excited about having some simple rye bread this week, since my problem is with wheat this should be a very welcome addition. Now set for the day after a nice bowl of stewed apples and porridge. Yum.
Having just read this one, It so reminds me of my husband. Lunch- he grabs the frying pan or baked potatoes in the oven. Or even leftover dinner from the night before.
And the loose stools etc is also what he went through (with a lot more in his case) when changing diet. Also the moisturizing and skin improvement.
He has recently discovered that liquid soap is what’s been causing his sore hands,so we have changed over to Dove bar soap wherever possible round the house,and voila! No problems. Hope you are well. Keep going with this!
Thanks Alison, sounds just like me. Jacket spud in the oven now so just off to rummage out something to with it. Takes a bit of imagination but I feel so much better. Taking a probiotic too which is really helping. No more loose stools! And skin needs no moisturising all day now, just morning and night. I’m a new woman! However Dove soap is awful for me – don’t get my started on Dove soap…
Came across this when searching about nodular prurigo. Thanks for sharing an informative blog. Did cutting out gluten make a difference? Dietician said to me to include some wheat and oats occasionally to give variety and avoid intolerance. Cutting out foods in elimination diet meant could track down histamine intolerance (reason for getting help from dietician).
Yes it did help me a lot. If I eat processed foods, even freefrom processed food, my body starts to struggle. The cleaner and simpler I eat the better my skin is, but this is not a science. There are so many things that influence the health of my skin from mood, stress, hydration, alcohol, hot, cold etc. Cutting out over processed foods does make a massive difference for me though. And for me, I can’t eat wheat due to a mild allergy which causes me awful IBS symptoms.