Hello! page

[lolanu]

Hi!

I started Primal a few days after the 21-day challenge started, and I must say, it's been easy to follow so far. I dove right in cold-turkey (off a vegetarian diet, no less), because I'm the kind of person that would rather do that than pull the bandaid off slowly. But, anyway...

I became interested after finding MDA (no idea how I did). I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and the possibility of a true autoimmune forming, most likely MS, about five months ago. My family on both sides has a high risk of cancer and diabetes, as well as autoimmunes, so this didn't surprise me. However, I remember being sick as young as eightish. So ten years? More? I would always complain of feeling ill about an hour or two after lunch, and I'm sure you all know what a grain-filled and sugary nightmare school cafeterias are. The teachers would brush it off to me being lazy, as the sickness always coincided with a class like math or english instead of something fun. Until my latest doctor, the family doctors I had seen had thrown antidepressants at me as early as the eighth grade (Yikes!). In the last year, though, my sickness really spiked, to where I probably missed 1/3 of my Senior year, squeaking through graduation, and luckily finding a job doing what I love: working with animals.

At my work, we help people pick food for their dogs and cats, and consider ourselves "Experts on dog and cat nutrition"... which is a lot truer than most vets can claim. We would get so many people coming through with their dog on some crap like Beneful or Science Diet, at which time I'd explain that they're carnivores and are best off eating raw meat and a ton of protein. I'd tell them how grain is technically not even healthy for us omnivorous humans, let alone carnivores. And then I'd wonder... why am I still eating grain?

When I read MDA, I thought "Yes! It totally makes sense!" What if grain and sugar is what is making me sick? I was 150lbs on my 5'1 frame when I started, and have dropped around 3 since then. I shouldn't even be surprised! I can actually lift the 30lb bags of dog food at work (for those weird squeamish people who won't do raw) and get them onto the shelving above my head. My coworkers always joked that they'd like to see what would happen if we fed ourselves as well as we did our dogs, and I intend to find out! I truly hope that I will feel better someday, and to get my father (who has had MS around 15 years and has more than 30 lesions) and my boyfriend on this diet.

I look forward to learning more from all of you and keeping track of how Primal affects my problems-maybe all fibromyalgia is is a matter of sucking it up and being healthy?

[Lewis]

... and the possibility of a true autoimmune forming, most likely MS, about five months ago.

You'll want to see this then. Here's a video of a doctor who appears to be curing herself of MS -- something previously thought impossible. It's by diet: she's using a paleo diet similar to this one:



Here's her site:

Terry Wahls MD | Defeating Progressive Multiple Sclerosis without Drugs | MS Recovery | Food As Medicine

[KNG]

Yes! I feel the same way about dog food. I'm an animal sciences major and my nutrition professors are always talking about how it's completely okay to feed dogs a grain-based diet, since they're omnivores...but I know better. Natural is better! When I get a dog of my own, that's what he's going to eat.

I'm very new to paleo, too. I am totally addicted to refined carbs/sugar, so this is a challenge for me. I think I may have to go cold-turkey for awhile, because I bought some hazelnut butter thinking it was a healthy snack, but couldn't stop eating it...NOT good. Anyway. Good luck!

Katie

[catholicchick]

I'd explain that they're carnivores and are best off eating raw meat and a ton of protein. I'd tell them how grain is technically not even healthy for us omnivorous humans, let alone carnivores.

Hmmm..... imagine that.

[lolanu]

Isn't it amazing? "Oh no, dogs are omnivores! My vet told me my dog needs grain!" "What do their teeth look like?"