It's been a while. I was home for 6 weeks and then I needed a little time to settle in back in the UK. While I was in the States, I tried my very best to eat well but found that it was extremely difficult to succeed. The cost of food out there is RIDICULOUS. I was in shock. To be honest, it wasn't even that great of quality either. So, I am VERY happy to be back in the UK and in the garden of England.
As a result of overindulging in American food, my skin condition (hidradenitis suppurativa) has gone completely awry. I was in agony due to the heat and the food overloading my system. I have now taken it upon myself to do some research into various causes for the disease and it seems that it is likely an autoimmune response to gluten and other not so nutritious foods that most people eat on a daily basis.
So I have decided to go gluten free and revamp my eating habits using recipes from the book, Nourishing Traditions. I will blog my journey through the recipes. The difficult part is not being able to eat any wheat flours. I find myself overwhelmed with the 6 different kinds of flour you use instead of just using wheat flour. I am not a terrific baker anyway and feel that I will never be able to accomplish baking again!
The first recipe I chose from the book was beef stock because it didn't involve any flour and is essential to a lot of the other recipes in the book. I must admit that I am very squeamish when it comes to animal bones but I got over it pretty quickly thanks to my lovely butcher offering to saw them up to fit in my stock pot. The end result is pretty tasty and according to the book is full of minerals and gelatin and all sorts of lovely fats that will help my body heal from the traditional modern diet.
I am also giving up refined sugar. I am trying to get my sweet tooth under control. It had free reign in America and I am paying for it with unbearable sugar cravings.
So, I have been gluten free for a week as of today. I have lost 6 pounds. I am still undergoing the detoxing and therefore am a bit lethargic and my skin is breaking out a lot. I have been told that it can take months for the skin to heal. I am more than willing to do this if my skin will get under control. I have learned so much from reading the book about the things we put into our bodies without even realising the effects they can have on it.
I will keep you all posted on how my journey is going and I will take some pictures along the way with my fancy new camera! My next recipe is to make cream cheese and whey from biodynamic yogurt. Whey is another essential ingredient in a lot of the recipes in the book. Lactofermenting really freaks me out but I am willing to give it a go! :)
