From Gluten Free to Paleo?

October 22, 2014….I was sitting in my doctor’s office listening to all of the things I knew he would say. The usual suspects were at hand…exhausted adrenals, low progesterone, heavy metal toxicity, sluggish thyroid and liver.

Although I had studied my hair analysis for several years, hearing it from another professional made it real for me. I started zoning out as he outlined my new “diet”. I was in a fog and all I could think about was that Paleo Cookbook I just borrowed from the library, based on my suspicion that dietary changes were coming. My doctor started listing all of my restrictions… No coffee- Not Even Decaf. No alcohol. No gluten- not even most “gluten free” treats. No dairy. No grains. No beans. No processed foods. No refined sugar. No canned foods. “No Fun“, I thought, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

Richard spoke up first as he asked if I could “cheat” on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. My doctor rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows. Then, he went into a whole monologue complete with graphs as to why I couldn’t “cheat” if we wanted to get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy, delivery and baby. So, “should I go paleo?” I asked. And his answer was a resounding yes.

Now, let me give you some background. In the past year, I have had 3 miscarriages (BTW, miscarriages are not related to herpes) despite the fact that I have a very healthy 3 year old girl Maddie. After the third miscarriage and a challenging pregnancy and afterbirth with Maddie, I knew that it was time to get some answers. So, I took the summer off and fervently placed my energy in creating our new Foundations Course. Richard and I both agreed that come Fall we would start seeking some answers.

I had blood tests, urine tests, saliva tests, and hair tests to get an accurate measure of what was out of balance. Mind you, I feel great and eat healthy. In fact, I went Gluten Free (no wheat, barley, rye, triticale) over the summer after having read the book Wheatbelly. My mother, father and aunt had already gone gluten free. The best gift of going Gluten Free for my whole family allowed our little girl’s occasional stomach aches to go away completely. I was amazed at how easy going gluten free was for our family. Maddie’s biggest challenge was not being able to get mac n cheese at the “mac n cheese store” (AKA Whole Foods).

I was shocked to find that going Gluten Free in Boulder, CO is relatively easy if your diet is already pretty clean. We could still partake in gluten free pasta and cupcakes- two treats that Maddie loved. The only other challenge I had was when Maddie started preschool part time this Fall. Most of the snacks are filled with gluten like pretzels, graham crackers, cookies, goldfish etc. I felt guilty that my child was going to have to be different. The good news is that they make most of these things gluten free and I as able to bring Maddie her own snacks. When she was in a fire drill the other day, she said that she was a good listener and that she had a pretzel (GF) as an award and that the other kids had gluten. She made me smile.

So, it is three days before Thanksgiving and now I am taking on a Paleo diet. All weekend I was pissed off that I had to be so restrictive in my diet. I went ahead and cleaned out my refrigerator and pantry of all potential temptations. No Thanksgiving stuffing or Christmas cookies or chocolate torte for me! And what about my favorite seasonal beers? I am a foodie at heart! I couldn’t possibly imagine how I would do it. My husband agreed to do the diet with me in his commitment to expand our family. He looks at it as an opportunity for us both to be healthier than ever. Watch out for what you pray for, for I have always gotten on his case for eating more veggies and now he is more than willing to.

My yoga instructor told us in class on Saturday that “Adversity is just change that has not adapted yet”. She shared this idea after watching a Ted Talk from a paralympic sprinter Aimee Mullins. Her message sank deep into my soul and I’ve been holding onto it ever since. This diet change will be a challenge for me, but I am committed to adapting to it. Richard reminds me to focus on the foods that I CAN eat as opposed to those that I CAN’T. I am so grateful for my current level of health and my amazing family.

I GET to have the chance of turning this ship around and if that means changing my diet, then I’m all in. I can’t control the outcome, but I can participate 100%. There are many of you who are reading this after having read my recommendations in my new book, Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes. I have heard from many of you that you are challenged to clean up your diet and make changes to decrease your herpes outbreaks. I totally understand. If I can do Paleo, you can make the necessary changes you need in your diet and lifestyle.

How committed are you to healing? I know that I will do whatever it takes to heal my body to its optimal potential. I have had a headache for the past few days and I am just now starting to feel more empowered. I bought 2 Paleo cookbooks and shared with my family how restricted my diet will be over the holidays. I am so fortunate that they are on board to support me. Health and healing is a never ending journey. I am on this journey with each and every one of you here at Pink Tent. Let’s rise above our challenges and be grateful for the opportunity to do so. Happy Thanksgiving!

Live. Love. Thrive.

Dr. Kelly

P.S. If you’re looking for some great Paleo Cookbooks, check out Primal Cravings, Practical Paleo or  Make it Paleo

P.S.S. I’m off to read my new book, Grain Brain- The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar: Your Brains Silent Killers