Why we started eating Paleo

It started with seasonal allergies…

Our story started about 14 years ago, when Superman started having seasonal allergies. It started with a stuffy nose, then progressed to sneezing, headaches, and tonsil stones. After a few years, he developed intestinal pain, bleeding and diarrhea. He experienced significant weight loss, and at his lowest was 130 pounds (at 6 feet tall!) He went to numerous doctors, and was always told that he just needed to eat more fiber, exercise and drink plenty of water. That was it. That was the extent of the advice we received. That lasted for a solid 10 years. Over the course of this time, Superman began to experience anxiety over his health, and would constantly research online trying to find out what could possibly be wrong with him. He had a hard time sleeping, would wake up at the slightest of noises, and was constantly drained. He felt like he was going crazy. In January, 2010, he was talking with a co-worker, and after hearing her describe her symptoms, he knew he had stumbled onto something: she had Celiac Disease, and he was sure that he had it.

He made an appointment with his doctor, told her he would like the test, and she said, “Oh, you don’t have that. Only 1% of the population has it, so it’s pretty much impossible.” After he pressed her repeatedly, she grudgingly agreed to “allow” him to have the test done. I have to interject here that just a few nights before, Superman had told me he felt he was close to death. He had the “what to do if I die” talk with me, showed me all our insurance info, etc. and was setting me up to take over “when” he died. That’s how bad he felt.

Then, the diagosis…

A few days later, he got the results: Celiac Disease! We were ecstatic. Just having a diagnosis made Superman realize he wasn’t crazy after all. He gained 20 pounds in 3 months, and was eating lots of gluten-free goodies. His energy levels increased, but unfortunately his diarrhea and intestinal pain continued. In the fall of 2010, we started seeking advice from people outside of “conventional” medical practices. After a series of tests through a Naturopath, he found out he was allergic to nearly everything–except meat, some fruits and most veggies. Everything else was causing his body to go into hyper-mode and basically attack itself. He realized he was suffering from “Leaky Gut Syndrome“. In order to heal himself, he needed to go on an extremely restricted diet to allow his intestines (which had holes in them as a result of his disease) to heal.

I was originally cooking two separate meals, one for him, and one for the kids and I. It was just too much, so after being inspired by the book “The Paleo Solution,” I decided to switch us all over. The results were amazing. Our son, who had suffered from severe allergies, asthma and eczema his entire life was for the first time medicine-free. The joint pain that I had for over 15 years disappeared. My mental fog was gone. And Superman was improving.

It has been a long few years to healing, but we are getting closer and closer each day. His health is like a puzzle, and it seems that we constantly stumble upon more pieces of this puzzle.

P.S. That’s not our kitchen. You can read about that HERE.

Enter: Paleo