I wasn’t originally planning on a Thanksgiving Day fast. It’s not the sort of thing foodies do, especially gluten-free ones who could stand to gain some weight. T-giving is a time to celebrate and show off delicious gluten-free eating at its best to family and friends, as well as to the blogosphere.
On the surface, a Thanksgiving Day fast can seem like a giant FAIL, especially when everybody else is feasting and I’d been planning the allergy-friendly menu for weeks: roasted veggies (my fave!), Brussels sprouts and kale salad, cauliflower mashed faux-tatoes, roasted sweet potatoes (simple is best!), wild rice stuffing and my very first attempt at turkey. Of course this meal wouldn’t be complete without a delish dairy-free, grain-free pumpkin pie.
But (There’s always a BUT, isn’t there? Things are never what they seem at first glance.) Thanksgiving isn’t really about food, it’s about gratitude, and I have SO many things to be thankful for. HOPE being one of them.
Lessons Learned
Although it would be really nice to navigate the digestive unknown holding my doctor’s hand, he did teach me to pay attention to my body and figure these things out for myself. (Thanks, Doc!) So I have hope that even without my good insurance and my doctor’s help, I CAN do this.
My Thanksgiving Day fast turned out to be a smashing success. I drank a lot of tea, some homemade turkey soup (Have to get in some holiday spirit!) and a cup of coconut milk. And distracted myself by cooking anything my family wanted to eat, providing I had the ingredients in my pantry. A culinary challenge if you will.
I learned a few important things from my fast:
- My digestive symptoms disappear when I don’t eat. Or at the least don’t eat certain things. (A pain-free day is always welcome in my book!)
- I’m most likely not intolerant to coconut. (Woot!)
- If I can survive this, I can make it through the SCD Intro Diet and jumpstart some healing, figure out what foods I’m reacting to, and maybe even reverse some of these food intolerances. (Epic Christmas dinner, here I come!)
Actually, Christmas is probably way too soon of a goal to reach digestive health. I’d gladly sacrifice Christmas dinner as well if indulging means suffering setbacks. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.
Don’t worry, next year I’ll share my fabulous grain-free gingerbread. Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait!
Gotta Have A Plan
So here’s my plan: For a couple of days starting today: grass-fed bone broth, chicken soup, puréed carrots, tea, and for good measure, a coconut-wild blueberry green smoothie, a kind of personalized, modified SCD Intro Diet. Then reintroduce foods one at a time to discover my tolerance levels, emphasizing GAPS/SCD and Paleo Autoimmune Protocol approved foods, and of course, a gigantic serving of listening to what my body tells me.
As the inimitable Tim Gunn says, “Make it work.”
