8.23.2011
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4.16.2009
A conversation emerges...
Our friend Phyllis says in response to Day 1:
And this response from David on Day 2:
Well, I've got some updates. Let's just say that my consumption on day 3 varied little from the previous 2 days. In a nut shell, an effort was made to include as many of the food groups as I could while still avoiding processed sugars, caffeine & alcohol. Mission accomplished from that perspective. Incidentally, I was diagnosed at a young age(approx. 10yrs. old) with chronic migraine headaches. At the time, I was told to avoid things like caffeine, nitrates/nitrites, alcohol, chocolate. Throughout my teens and early 20's, the migraines occurred with less frequency and intensity. At this point, I can expect a low grade migraine from the combination of lack of sleep and dehydration. You can guess the activity that brings those on.
Fast forward to yesterday. Things really were on track to be a very positive day. My food choices were becoming less of a mystery, I certainly wasn't craving either of the 3 holdouts. So I finished my day at work feeling complete and successful. At about 6:15, the wheels started coming of the wagon. I was reading a book to my daughter and noticed a creeping migraine coming on. At the time, I'd decided the intensity was minor enough to not be any cause for concern. I'd just slog through it. By 6:45, I was up in bed writhing around, groaning in the throws of the heftiest migraine I'd experienced in many years. All the classic symptoms: throbbing behind the right ocular cavity, sensitivity to light and sound, and even a bit of nausea. I forced myself to keep my eyes shut and to stay as still as I could. Interestingly enough, you remain quite aware of your pain even as you drift further into sleep. But it is nonetheless overwhelming at the time. This headache took me out of commission. Period. So what brought it on?
Could I have stumbled upon the ultimate paradox? Is my current suspension of caffeine, one of the substances I was told to avoid by doctors decades ago, now causing migraines? Is this a detox/withdrawl scenario we tend to associate with hard drugs like heroine or even alcohol? Joli and I said last night, almost reflexively, that we need to incorporate small quantities of caffeine back into our diets. Surely this would alleviate the headaches, fatigue and malaise. But I'm not so sure. I realize this declaration is buried deep within my post, but this experiment will cease on Friday at midnight, not Sunday as Joli had originally indicated. Why are we truncating the "cleanse"? Here are some initial thoughts: Because we are believers in moderation to begin with, acts of depravation, unless prescribed by a doctor or other professional, are not practical life models for us(and we don't believe for others either). But since we have cut these 3 additives from our diets, we have also been acutely aware of the effects. What it has encouraged is better food choices and more label scrutiny. And this for a family that already made very good food choices. I will withhold final judgement until Saturday when I will summarize my experience, and give some sense of how my diet will proceed as it relates to these 3 nuisances.
-B
OK - got the Trader Joe's muffins. No sugar in ingredients label, but it says it has 2g of sugar in the nutrition label. What's that all about? Didn't notice it until I got home. Other than that, no refined sugar yesterday -- yahoo!!!Excellent observation, indeed. The sugars you saw listed in the Nutrition area are carbohydrates that exist in the overall contents of the english muffin. Carbohydrates break down into 3 different types of sugars(glucose, fructose & galactose), all of which are then absorbed into the body and burned as energy. Glycogen, a bi-product or muscularly stored version of glucose, is burned most efficiently during exercise. So you can say with certainty that you did avoid refined sugars for the day. Congrats, it aint easy!
And this response from David on Day 2:
Brett, this is sounding so painful ...
day one ... this sucks
day two ... God I hope
Don't worry, you will feel better when you are cleansed!
Well, I've got some updates. Let's just say that my consumption on day 3 varied little from the previous 2 days. In a nut shell, an effort was made to include as many of the food groups as I could while still avoiding processed sugars, caffeine & alcohol. Mission accomplished from that perspective. Incidentally, I was diagnosed at a young age(approx. 10yrs. old) with chronic migraine headaches. At the time, I was told to avoid things like caffeine, nitrates/nitrites, alcohol, chocolate. Throughout my teens and early 20's, the migraines occurred with less frequency and intensity. At this point, I can expect a low grade migraine from the combination of lack of sleep and dehydration. You can guess the activity that brings those on.
Fast forward to yesterday. Things really were on track to be a very positive day. My food choices were becoming less of a mystery, I certainly wasn't craving either of the 3 holdouts. So I finished my day at work feeling complete and successful. At about 6:15, the wheels started coming of the wagon. I was reading a book to my daughter and noticed a creeping migraine coming on. At the time, I'd decided the intensity was minor enough to not be any cause for concern. I'd just slog through it. By 6:45, I was up in bed writhing around, groaning in the throws of the heftiest migraine I'd experienced in many years. All the classic symptoms: throbbing behind the right ocular cavity, sensitivity to light and sound, and even a bit of nausea. I forced myself to keep my eyes shut and to stay as still as I could. Interestingly enough, you remain quite aware of your pain even as you drift further into sleep. But it is nonetheless overwhelming at the time. This headache took me out of commission. Period. So what brought it on?
Could I have stumbled upon the ultimate paradox? Is my current suspension of caffeine, one of the substances I was told to avoid by doctors decades ago, now causing migraines? Is this a detox/withdrawl scenario we tend to associate with hard drugs like heroine or even alcohol? Joli and I said last night, almost reflexively, that we need to incorporate small quantities of caffeine back into our diets. Surely this would alleviate the headaches, fatigue and malaise. But I'm not so sure. I realize this declaration is buried deep within my post, but this experiment will cease on Friday at midnight, not Sunday as Joli had originally indicated. Why are we truncating the "cleanse"? Here are some initial thoughts: Because we are believers in moderation to begin with, acts of depravation, unless prescribed by a doctor or other professional, are not practical life models for us(and we don't believe for others either). But since we have cut these 3 additives from our diets, we have also been acutely aware of the effects. What it has encouraged is better food choices and more label scrutiny. And this for a family that already made very good food choices. I will withhold final judgement until Saturday when I will summarize my experience, and give some sense of how my diet will proceed as it relates to these 3 nuisances.
-B
