Getting Back on Track
I typically talk about my daughter and her journey with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac disease. But today I’m choosing to (uncomfortably) talk about myself for a little bit——I have a variety of autoimmune issues, including Psoriatic Arthritis. I take medication and it’s fairly controlled. Now, I don’t test positive for Celiac disease, but I have empirically found that when I avoid gluten, and actually when I eat a diet that’s lower in carbohydrates in general, my joints feel significantly better. I don’t struggle with the God-awful fatigue associated with PsA, and my skin is clearer. I have enough reasons where you’d think I would easily follow a gluten-free diet, and avoid simple carbohydrates (I’m talking your high sugar, processed foods and obvious carbs like bread and pasta. Fruit does not bother me at all. I’m not 100% sure if dairy aggravates it but so far I don’t believe so).
Know what I haven’t done lately? Followed a gluten-free diet. Know what I have done? Binged on all. the. carbs. Oh, and enjoyed some adult beverages over the weekend, which I find immediately flares my joints up nowadays, even after one drink. I’m talking one seltzer and I will take 800mg of ibuprofen before bed because I know I’ll be waking up feeling hungover the next day. I typically don’t drink for this very reason, and isn’t really the big issue here. Where I really struggle is following a gluten-free diet every day—-especially when there are temptations around like there was this weekend or if I go out to eat at a restaurant. Since I technically don’t have Celiac disease, I tend to justify in my head that it’s fine if I eat how I always have in the past.
But as I type this, my fingers hurt. They’re stiff and swollen and have a burning sensation. My ankles and toes are throbbing. My pinky toe locked up—- sounds silly but picture having a Charlie horse in your toe—- it’s painful. And beyond taking my medicine, I am well aware that I did nothing to help myself. How’d I end up like this tonight? My adult beverage didn’t help, but we also celebrated Father’s Day today with a lot of great cook out foods. My husband put a few racks of ribs on the smoker, and served it along with some pasta salad, salt potatoes, corn on the cob, and some other yummy sides. The pasta salad wasn’t gluten free (because my daughter doesn’t like it anyways), the salt potatoes were…well, salty and carby (carby is an adjective, right?). Followed this all up with some brownie sundaes along with all the toppings——brownie (which was gluten free, but still full of added sugar obviously), ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Don’t get me wrong, it was ALL delicious. But…now I hurt.
So what’s a girl to do? I guess nothing else to do but to get back on track. I can’t be the mom I want to be if I’m struggling with extreme fatigue and pain. So our dinner plans this week will hopefully meet the needs and appetites of everyone. Of course I’ll have gluten-free options, but the focus this week will be to try and make things a little bit lower in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are hydrophyllic, meaning they attract water. Sugar and alcohol have inflammatory effects in the body as well. So I’m cutting back mainly to decrease inflammation where I can, and so that my body doesn’t retain extra fluid and aggrevate my joints even more.
Ironically, the two diets that I swore I would never do as a dietitian because I don’t meet the “criteria”——low carb, and gluten-free. Yet here I am, living that life. I’ll let you know if I feel any better next week!