My Inflammation
December 2023
December comes to me as my reflection time for the past year. It is not only the end of a calendar year but also with my birthday being in January I tend to always look at the year of my learnings and growth.
2023 has been mostly about listening to my body and how it is feeling. My main challenge has been looking at my relationship with sugar/carbs but mostly chocolate. This has been an amazing experience.
I have been a self-confessed chocaholic all my life. As I unpack it, I can see how I have used chocolate for many reasons including enjoyment, comfort, suppression, and emptiness.
One year ago, after experiencing lots of pain in my lower back and feet I went to the doctor, and he ran all the appropriate tests and when the results came back, he recommended for me to get a cortisone injection. I asked if I could try something holistically first then he suggested that I needed to get the inflammation out of my body by going on a low carb, paleo, or keto eating plan. He went on and explained how carbs/sugar is the main reason for inflammation plus the cause of autoimmune diseases.
Alcohol is high in carbs also and I had given that up September 2022 once I realized that alcohol was not making my mind, body, and soul sing. This vice has been a strong influence in my last 36 years, and I was very pleased to finally let go of it.
As I reflect, I have noticed how my body has improved by being on a low carb/paleo diet. That meant I was packing my esky with the necessary nourishment as I found that carbs are very easy to buy everywhere and low carbs not so much when I left the safety of my kitchen.
Over the last 12 months and with many challenges of the choices I made I found that I had to be kind to myself if my taste buds won.
With the festive season fast approaching I was really faced with a huge challenge. Long story short is I slipped and fell off the low carb/paleo wagon. After hosting an early Christmas party at my new home at the end of November which meant there was lots of taste testing while I was in the kitchen. My guests would not have approved if I fed them a wholesome low carb/paleo assortment. They are very much into many different varieties of carbs including alcohol.
So, the choccy/sugar monster has had its way for the last 3 weeks as I perfected my rocky road, rum balls and homemade custard recipes. Well Do I hear you ask? How did my body respond after the Christmas Party? My body felt like I had been drinking alcohol all night. I woke up like I had a hangover, and it took me a week to recover feeling so sluggish. With the inflammation raging in my body once again plus IBS returning was the wake-up call I really needed. It was such an insight that I allowed my body to get to this state again and I can see how I let the sugar win.
With Christmas Day fast approaching I am going to do the best I can at each moment to nourish my mind, body and soul and bring awareness to what is best for my temple.
Sugar is in so much of the food that is eaten, and it is a known fact that it is more addictive than any heavy drug.
My eating intention is that I will be kind to myself and bring awareness to each bite I take.
Watch this space 😊