Head Games

Recently I was shopping for some gluten-free breakfast foods for some guests that were coming to the hotel I manage. I was on the phone with a friend talking about it, when she said something that surprised me. But then again....not really. It's a quite common thought from those who aren't affected by food sensitivities. She said, "What's up with the gluten free talk? If you ask me, it's all in your head."

I told her it most certainly wasn't all in my head (or anyone else's) because of the results I had seen from not only eliminating wheat (one of my Top 4 "red" foods on LEAP) but other foods as well.

Again, her response: "I don't care what you say, I'm not buying it, it's all in your head. The whole thing is just crazy. You didn't hear about this gluten free crap a few years ago, now everyone is on the bandwagon."

Sound like someone you might know? Sound like YOU when you hear of someone going gluten free/dairy free/sugar-free?  This is pretty much why I blog. Because I am trying to spread the word that food sensitivities are REAL, they affect people, they can make people sick, and they can keep you on unnecessary medications for years and years until the root cause of what's going on is uncovered, like it was for me with LEAP.  Now, there are medically diagnosed illnesses and allergies that are pretty obvious. I have friends who have Celiac Disease. I myself tested negative for celiac, but wheat came up as a sensitivity for me.  Not many people look at LEAP as a standard test for the kind of things I suffered from, and not many doctors are even familiar with it. So I want to spread the word. I want to let people know that food can be your medicine (and as Emily says, it's not the easiest way but it's the best way!) I am not doing LEAP for any other reason other than to heal my body. I'd love for it to be "all in my head." Because if I could eat wheat, and sugar, and black pepper, and mushrooms, and peanuts, and pistachios and ice cream and packaged cookies and cake, I WOULD. But here's the rub: when I DO eat that stuff, I get sick. I feel bad. I get heartburn and my belly makes noises and I get painful gas and my body hurts EVERYWHERE (hello, Fibromyalgia!) and it is everywhere BUT in my head. Unless I get a migraine, then it's literally in my head. But then again I haven't had one of THOSE since I started LEAP so....totally not in my head. Follow?

I think that one of THE hardest things to do is to make the people around you believe that something you have eaten your whole entire life is "suddenly bad for you." It's not - it was bad for you the whole time! - but that's what's hard to get through. When I was "dieting" and trying desperately to lose weight I ate wheat bread and wheat pasta and wheat thins and skim milk and greek yogurt and light ice cream. I found out later that cow's milk and wheat were in my red zone. The MOST reactive foods for my body. Oopsie! The stuff I ate EVERY DAY was actually working against me. Eureka.

So, when I was trying to explain my LEAP results, I was getting a lot of this from my family:

"Awwww, I feel SO bad for you" 
"That must suck!" 
"Can't you just have a small piece of cake? It's Christmas!" 
"I thought wheat bread was healthy!" 
"You can't live like that forever."
"Why would you torture yourself like that?"  

They didn't get it. They actually didn't believe it. But you know what? They don't have to believe in it. I do. They don't have to understand (although boy oh boy it would be nice if they did) that I can't just eat anything I want to anymore, because I will get sick again. Not an "in the hospital" kind of sick....an "I am not enjoying life" kind of sick. A "why do I feel so bad all the time?" kind of sick. A "this is not how I should feel every day" kind of sick.

I've had doctors tell me it's all in my head, and I cannot tell you how discouraging that was to me. I am the kind of person who wants to know the reason for any little ache or pain I have. I want to know what caused it, so I can go about fixing it. My fibromyalgia was misdiagnosed for years. I was pretty much told it was "all in my head" (by medical doctors!) and prescribed an anti-anxiety medication. Until LEAP, which identifies which foods cause my body to have an inflammatory response, I did not get full-on relief from fibromyalagia or the other things I was suffering from. No placebo effect here. It was pretty obvious once I started re-introducing foods into my diet which ones were the culprits. After the initial phases of LEAP where you eat only your "green" (non reactive) foods, your body quickly picks up on the "bad guys". I was surprised how in tune I was with myself and my reactions for the first time EVER in my life! And the proof was not only something I could "feel" (something that can easily be described as all in your head, right?) it was something I could SEE when my severe eczema on my scalp and hands started to heal. And went away.

If you are feeling bad physically, chances are it isn't all in your head. I am someone who believes that even depression isn't "all in your head" so don't buy that line. The only thing that should be in your head is a strong desire and commitment to figuring out what exactly is going on. I was at  my wit's end when I tried LEAP. And sometimes being at your wit's end can be a good thing, because there's little else to motivate you to stay where you're at. I was done feeling bad, so I took a LEAP of faith.

Do not let the naysayers convince you that what you're feeling isn't real. We all want a support system but sometimes we have to look outside of our inner circle to find it in order to connect with like-minded people who 'get' it.

Matthew 7:7 says "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Don't give up! All I know is that what I felt before (bad) was real, and what I feel now (great) is real. It's real, and no matter what you think, you won't convince me otherwise :) Keep on keeping on and you'll find that it's not all in your head, and that is one of the most freeing feelings I have ever experienced.