Cr-cr-cr-Cravings

Friday, December 4, 2009

Life is so unfair.  First TTC fare went up to $2.75 (old news, you say?  I’m still irate!), then your PVR didn’t reprogram itself when the hockey game was moved to a different channel, and now your favorite foods might be trying to kill you.  Wait.  Back up.  What?

It’s quite common among people with celiac disease to crave bread, crackers, and pasta.  What the hell?  Why would your body direct you to consume the very substance which is doing so much damage?  Theories abound.  Specific to gluten intolerance: Gluten irritates your intestines, making for really inefficient nutrient absorption.  Simple, refined carbohydrates are absorbed earliest, in a less-irritated region of intestine… so your body craves white flour and sugar because those are pretty much the only things making it through in a useful form.  Here’s one theory about why we might crave or be addicted to other foods (including, but not limited to, gluten) to which we’re intolerant.

Image credit: World’s Healthiest Foods

Does the thought of cleaning up your diet leave you in a panic?  Is there one food or food group that you think of more as a close personal friend than as fuel?  Consider this:

Hint: how do you know you may have these food sensitivities?  There are all sorts of ELISA allergy tests you can take, but if you feel particularly “addicted” to something, it may actually suggest you are sensitive to it.  When we took our kid off milk, he acted like he was coming off heroin for the first few days, he kept screaming for milk and cheese.  If you’re intrigued, take yourself off these things for a few weeks and introduce them back in, and then see how you feel.  (from Green Fertility)

You can do anything for a week, right?  Except hold your breath.  Or stand on one foot.  Or run nonstop.  Or… well… ok, so there’s a lot you can’t do for a week.  But avoiding, say, cheese?  Just to see if it changes your wellbeing for the better?  Might be worth a shot.

Workout

Complete 5 rounds for time of:

• 5 One arm dumbbell thrusters, left side (1/3 of body weight)
• 5 One arm dumbbell thrusters, right side (1/3 of body weight)
• 30 Double-unders