Do you ever eat something and think, “I’m going to regret this later…” or had you doubled over in pain? Yeah, it sucks.
As a kid I thought my stomach was made of steel. Come to find out that’s not the case and in fact, as I’ve gotten older, it’s gotten worse. In the beginning, I started my journey as a way to just be healthier. I gave up energy drinks, soda (with the rare exception), and all fast food. This grew to accompany a lactose intolerance that presented itself more clearly when I started to pay more attention to what my body had been trying to tell me for years. I never expected to end up here. Googling “lectin intolerance”.
Now four years into a healthy eating lifestyle (with the exception of the occasional adult beverage) I’m still battling my stomach for a good day. I keep thinking, “This shouldn’t be happening”. I eat healthy, I work out and stay active regularly, I’m in over all great health. Why does eating have to be such a taxing and exhausting activity? It’s one of my most favorite things to do. Especially since I love to cook and create exciting new dishes.
I shouldn’t have to be afraid my latest culinary masterpiece is going to leave me curled into the fetal position wrenched over in pain.
So, it’s time to figure out what’s going on. I’m not in a financial position to drop $700 to get “scoped” and already know through the process of elimination what my other intolerance are; time to bring this one to light too.
This blog is not just a story of my journey, it’s also a (rough) guideline on how you can help yourself if you are suffering from health problems. My problems are mostly digestion related (and I’ll spare you the details) but I also suffer from year round allergies, continuous sinus problems, adult acne, joint pain and scalp issues. I’m not going to say they’re all related, but wouldn’t it be great if I could fix everything? Honestly, I’d just be happy being able to eat what I enjoy without the worry of it making me sick later. And so our journey of discovery begins.
Lectin not Lentil
First step along our path is Research. I’ve been researching everything from Crohn’s Disease, to Celiac and Gluten intolerance, Ulcerative Colitis, Autoimmune Diseases/Disorders and then I heard from someone to look into Lectins. I thought they were a type of pasta (Lentils) if that tells you anything about how much I knew about them.
Through everything I’ve seen, read, and researched this “Lectin Intolerance” seemed to be the most fitting for not just my digestion issues, but the bulk of the other things going on with my body. But, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t skeptical. I don’t believe in a single thing being the cause “for all your problems”. It’s like those miracle drug supplements you occasionally hear about that will cure every one of your ailments and find your lost dog from 3 years ago. I’m not buying it. I will however proceed with an open mind and some hesitancy. My approach for proceeding from here?
More research.
Since starting down this rabbit hole I’ve found some scientific articles siting lectin toxicity and correlation between gluten intolerance and lectin intolerance. I’ve also found some surprising articles that seem to have come from some credible sources and were written with no factual or credible information (Harvard…). The interesting point here is that everyone does seem to be pointing to lectin or gluten for something and lectins are toxic in high concentrations.
Next Step…Elimination and Experimentation. Honestly this is the hardest part for me and probably most people that enjoy food. I’m starting a 7 day elimination diet and will share the recipes (some pics if I remember to take them) and a daily update.
Elimination Diet Day 1
Didn’t eat any lunch because I hadn’t thought all the way through my plan for food, but on my way home from work I stocked up! For Dinner I cooked wild caught Salmon drizzled with olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, a dash of salt and fresh cracked pepper. As a side I baked 3 lbs of sweet potatoes diced into one and a half inch cubes(ish) shook those up with some olive oil to coat them, a little rosemary, salt and pepper. I also through on some red onion cut into strips during the last couple minutes of the sweet potatoes cooking to add a little something.
I though for sure that it wouldn’t be enough to fill me up, but the flavor was fantastic and afterwards I was content. Dessert is always on the brain, but I resisted and went to bed feeling great.
Elimination Diet Day 2
DAY 2: Woke up feeling great, scrambled the pasture raised chicken eggs I had bought at $7 a and made spinach, goat cheese scrambled eggs. Breakfast was delicious. I began to get ready for work and although my stomach felt great all morning, come time to taking care of business it still wasn’t great.
I wasn’t going to give up so easily though, I know the body takes time to heal. Then the hard part of the day came. We had a huge wedding celebration at work for the nine different coworkers who had gotten married over the last 6 months (myself included) and had sooooooo much food that I would normally indulge in without blinking and be back in line for seconds before even making it to my seat, but I resisted and had a couple blackberries and blue berries instead. A bittersweet moment to say the least. I did indulge in half an avocado and a few pistachios to hold me over until lunch.
Damn you lectin diet.
For lunch I took the salads that I had meal prepped the night before with arugula from our garden, spinach, kale, red leaf lettuce, and sliced red onion and added a little bit of the salmon from the night before for an extra protein kick. I topped it off with my homemade Dijon mustard balsamic vinaigrette and a side of leftover sweet potato cubes. More than enough to satisfy my hunger and exquisitely delicious.
Dinner was just as unique with wild caught shrimp and scallops, and broccoli stir fry on a bed of cauliflower rice. Yeah, cauliflower rice. That’s a thing. It’s super easy to make and to be honest, it delicious. I’d probably eat it as a rice substitute whenever this diet is over as a lighter option. Come time for that post dinner crave for something sweet I came prepared and had a bar of 72% dark chocolate which I made last the whole week.
Elimination Diet Day 3
Day 3: Each day I’m feeling better and better, breakfast consisted of over-easy eggs with half an avocado. My body is finally starting to respond how it’s supposed to as well! It’s weird to get excited about using the bathroom, but it’s something most people do every day and when it plays such a regular role in your life it’d be nice if it was regular too.
Snacks and lunch were more of the same except this time I’ve added a can of tuna to help keep me full and give me some more protein, I just had to read the label because the main can-o-tuna that most people buy contains soy which is on the no list, so a bit more work is required at the grocery store. Dinner was pasture raised chicken (which by the way is $10 a lbs!!! WHAT?!) with a side of steamed broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. This lectin diet is getting expensive…
Elimination Diet Day 4
Day 4: Back to the scrambled eggs with spinach and goat cheese for breakfast; it was just too good to not do again. Today I’m tired and the week is catching up with me. Internally though, I’m feeling great. 4 days without being bloated at all, 4 days of just feeling good, 4 days of salads for lunch; oh god I’m getting tired of eating salads. So I had salad again! Because what else am I going to eat? Dinner was a quicker meal and to be honest I was getting tired of looking up recipes each day and just exhausted in general so we had baked sweet potatoes with goat cheese.
Elimination Diet Day 5
Day 5: This lectin diet can be a little restrictive if you’re not creative. So eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, starting to notice the trend here? Yeah, me too. But it’s Friday which means… well it means I still have to go to work, but after work?! It’s the weekend. My body is feeling great, but I’m noticing something strange. I’m not sleeping as well throughout the night. Now, I’ve always had sinus problems and three sinus surgeries later and I still can’t sleep breathing through my nose which means my cup of water by my bed is usually empty by morning. Last night however, I woke up more thirsty than normal and by 2 or 3 I was in the kitchen waiting for my cup to refill with water.
Dinner was another culinary experiment with grass fed pasture raised beef on portobello mushrooms that I subbed for buns and a side of fresh cut, homemade sweet potato fries and a glass of red wine. Perfect conclusion to a work week.
Elimination Diet Day 6
Day 6: Woke up early and mowed our quarter acre backyard and discovered that I can have coconut yogurt. Needless to say, indulged in that tasty treat for breakfast. We typically have those laying around being that we’re both lactose intolerant. Sweaty and feeling good, it’s time for a shower and to go about the rest of the day. At this point my body is the best it’s been in I couldn’t even tell you how long. It’s amazing what a good reset can do for your body, but this sleep issue is getting old quick. I’m starting to wonder think there might be something to this lectin thing.
The day blurs by as most Saturdays do, but I’m ready to throw the rest of my salads to the curb. I need something else to eat, so I eat another salad, with tuna. Yeah, it’s a little defeating. I’ve only got one more day before I can start reintroducing foods back into my diet and narrowing down what my body doesn’t like.
Holding on to that hope I get through the salad and the rest of the day. I make a Mediterranean salmon dish for dinner with a side of lemon Parmesan asparagus. Yes, I found out today I can enjoy Parmesan cheese again. But wait? Didn’t I say I was lactose intolerant earlier? I did; did you know that any hard cheese aged over 9 months has almost no lactose? By 9 months it completely breaks down. Turns out the same can be said for lectin too. Dessert? Another bite of chocolate and bourbon on the rocks, because I mowed the yard and I’ve earned it. At least that’s my excuse.
Elimination Diet Final Day
Day 7: Stirred throughout the night again, but woke up with my body feeling great; I even did a little morning workout before cooking the rest of the eggs and planning our weekly trip to the grocery store. My body is the closest to normal it’s ever been. It actually feels really good to have that as a base line to reference now. I’m so much more confident in my own ability to find foods and create unique dishes to accommodate my strange dietary needs. It’s almost refreshing to have the challenge of coming up with more recipes for the following week and thinking about what I want to add back in to my food repertoire.
I eat my salad for lunch knowing it’s probably not going to be my last. Then I was off to spend a pretty penny at the grocery store. Let me tell you, this lectin diet has changed my life for the better, but it is NOT cheap! After that and some relaxing at the pool I come back and cook up some Ahi Tuna steaks with a garlic, cracked peppercorn rub and a side of roasted Brussels sprouts.
Rinse and Repeat
Next week I imagine it will be a lot of the same. More salads, more avocados and $7 eggs, and expensive wild caught seafood, but I don’t mind. I decided to add tomatoes back in to my diet. We have a vegetable garden that’s spitting out 5 to 10 cherry tomatoes a day right now and Sierra can’t eat them all. This elimination diet has helped me relearn what it feels like to have nothing wrong with my body for a change. What it feels like to not dread going to the bathroom. What it feels like to be comfortable in my own skin throughout the whole day. It’s incredible what a bunch of leafy greens, copious amounts of olive oil, some seafood, and a ridiculous amount of yams can do to transform who you are.
Going forward, I’m going to keep up this lectin diet until I figure out what’s truly bothering my stomach. At that point I will probably stay away from whatever it is. If you are struggling with any of the issues I was, or even struggling with other issues, I would suggest you look into lectin intolerance or lectin toxicity and see what the research is saying about it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be commenting here for my recipes as you embark on your own journey of discovery and an over abundance of salads in a quest to help heal your body too.
