My Body Ecology and Quitting Sugar Journey (the first 3 months)

January, 1st 2018

My Body Ecology and Quitting Sugar Journey (the first 3 months):

The unexpected things I am grateful to have learned on this journey so far.

  1. boundaries
  2. I’m not going to die without having chocolate/sugar every day
  3. real food is delicious
  4. real food is cheaper
  5. my anxiety 75% is gone
  6. my depression 75% is gone
  7. healing takes time & patience
  8. I don’t have to fit in everywhere I go

As I write out the mini-chapters I realize I could definitely write a book, as I am sure you could as well if you have been or are taking a similar journey. I wanted to write about my anti-candida, quitting sugar and healing my gut. Just to give you a peek at what I have learned so far. Giving something such as sugar up, and then on top of that, giving up foods that you are so used to having and always thinking they are healthy, has been very eye-opening in the best ways possible.

If you don’t know what Candida is I would google it or read up on it in the Body Ecology book or website. Body Ecology is the protocol I’ve been following for the first three months, adding in colon-cleansing, acupuncture, and Chinese Herbs from my Chinese Medicine Doctor. Literally, these are all things I used to hear about and think what the what?! I would NEVER do such a thing – needles going into me? NEVER… until I decided to take my healing to the next level.

A little about my journey…

A little about me – I was refined sugar-free before this for about 4-5 years. Which means no processed sugar, such as cane-sugar and never in baked goods. If I had any sweets it was a natural sweetener for example dates, honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or any fruits…etc. No shame or blame in this post so if you do eat sugar I have no judgment this journey is just what I have to do for my health journey.

As of this writing, I’ve been three months in without any sugar, not even fruit or tomatoes. I didn’t think I could do it – I told myself to only test this lifestyle for 3 months and I could go back to my way of life if it didn’t work out. I’ve almost hit the 3 months mark and do I feel better? yes! do I feel fully healed? no… which is okay it’s apart of the process. I’ve read it can take some people up to 1-3 years just on stage 1 of Body Ecology.

Why did I start this?

Reasons I went on this Body Ecology Journey is because some of the symptoms were unbearable – I had food allergies on top of food allergies, I have been getting infections all my life, and these are only to name a few.

This is what I am telling myself, “I am here for you no matter what.” Even on the days I have a flare-up from stress or I ate something I didn’t know would trigger it, I keep telling myself “I am here for you”. The amount of self-love that goes into healing is unreal and some people may misunderstand that and that is okay too.

My main motives after reading the Body Ecology book to heal my gut, because I see myself someone symptom-free, and I see it being my responsibility to heal my gut before I have children. Who am I to continue on eating sugar and just passing this from generation to generation? I want to see my future kids to have a healthy immune system, to have healthy gut flora, and not on medicine right out of the womb. To read more about how candida can be passed down from generation to generation,  I HIGHLY recommend Body Ecology Book by Donna Gates. It changed my life!

 

What has been challenging?

  1. Making real food from a good source can take time.
  2. Going out to eat can be very challenging.
  3. Going over to families and friends houses to visit during meals.
  4. Thinking I feel like an alien sometimes.
  5. Blogging – I think of new recipes 24/7 and some of them I make I can’t eat due to the cleanse, but I do get to share them with my loved ones.
  6. My ego – I question myself if I am being a hypocrite to be sharing recipes that are sweetened with things like dates to my family. But then I think is it better than Snickers, no?
  7. I miss making fruit-based smoothies & pies… they photograph so beautifully – even though I still make them for my partner often and photograph them.
  8. Sometimes I get tired of zucchini which is my go-to veggies yet I still love it.
  9. It can take a lot of time to think up new recipes to test or try & miss variety.

What has been helpful?

  1. Finding my tribe to talk to online, such as Facebook group & cleansing groups.
  2. Blogging and reading over bloggers journey who have gone through it.
  3. My supportive boyfriend who helps make veggies all day every day.
  4. Shopping at our local Farmers Market to get beautifully sourced food has been delicious and so fulfilling.
  5. Getting excited about creating new recipes for myself and to share with others who are also healing.
  6. Being grateful for simple yummy food.
  7. Community – really this has been my number 1 and had to mention it.
  8. Blogging has been a challenge yet a creative/healing outlet at the same time.

In conclusion, I’m enjoying learning about the gut health and healthy lifestyle. Some days there will be challenges, but I think all-in-all it will pay off in the long run. I look forward to keep updating you on the process and hopefully, this helps those that are interested in starting their own Body Ecology journey. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the process and check out the recipe section of my blog for Body Ecology friendly recipes! I’ll keep you updated on my journey.