So Liis, Why Are You Eating Paleo Anyway?

You will notice on my site and in my social media posts that I reference Paleo food and share my healthy concoctions quite frequently. If you have found your way to Liis on Life, you may already know a bit – or a lot – about the Paleo way of eating. Or you may have no clue and are envisioning cavemen running around hunting for food and picking berries scratching your head wondering why I have signed up for such a “crazy” way of life. Many crossfitters have adopted the Paleo diet but I am not a crossfitter – but kudos to them and their workouts! And some adopt a Paleo diet strictly to lose weight which is not the reason I changed my eating habits. As a proud curvy model and fashion diversity and body image advocate for over 20 years, I want everyone to know I don’t count calories, this has nothing to do with weight or size – it has to do with making a necessary lifestyle choice for health. I think if you are “on a diet” you can fall off. Ouch. No thanks. When you’re “in a healthy lifestyle,” that’s being true to you every day. I feel as if I am getting back to the healthy way my grandparents ate before preservatives took over the shelves – or as I like to say: Just Eat Real Food (JERF).

In 2011, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, it was recommended that anyone with any autoimmunity eat gluten free so I jumped in with both feet to help heal myself. It is believed that once the body starts mistakenly turning on its own body parts – in my case, my thyroid – it often starts to mistakenly attack gluten as well thus keeping up the body’s inflammation levels. I also eliminated soy – not great for many reasons but especially with thyroid issues. Still, the varying levels of aches and pain and brain fog problems didn’t go away. There were many improvements (health homework is key!) but my quality of life was far from ideal. I was existing not thriving. Painful endometriosis came about in 2012 and I noticed some different symptoms in the spring of 2013 but kept thinking, ”I have to be patient and give my body time to heal,” and attributed them all to Hashimoto’s.

The fall of 2013 brought about severe changes to my health and suddenly many days I could barely walk and the brain fog I had struggled with turned into what I can only label the decimation of my mind. Some days I could look and act fairly normal, other days, not even close. Every day felt like a game of chance and making plans started to become impossible. When I could walk, I often looked like I was stumbling down the street drunk. Every movement I made was exhausting and difficult and I remember telling my mom that if I didn’t get help immediately, I was going to hit a point of no return and lose certain brain and body function forever. At 42, I thought I was headed towards a walker or a wheelchair and either dementia, Parkinson’s or something similar. I was inwardly freaking out at how fast things were spiralling. The list of symptoms was long and I could barely tie my shoelaces and tremored inwardly constantly. Basic everyday moves became huge tasks – lifting a tea cup, passing a plate down the table, being in busy, loud environments. By this point, I had tried everything to get my blood sugar levels under control and I could feel it getting worse. It was only through deep meditation, meticulous planning and literally using up all my adrenaline reserves that I got through this period. My acting and improv skills helped me get through work obligations and seem “normal” when I felt anything but.

In December, 2013 I was finally diagnosed with gluten ataxia, an autoimmune condition in which the antibodies my body was producing in response to gluten were mistakenly attacking my cerebellum (more specifically the Purkinje cells), the part of the brain which controls motor skills. My nerves, muscles, central nervous system and entire body were affected. (There are many forms of ataxia. Some come about for no known reason “sporadic” , some are hereditary and some are symptoms of  celiac or Hashimoto’s – which is not the case with me.  Some believe, as I do, gluten ataxia is an as-yet classified autoimmune dis-ease. There is still so much research needed!) I had still been getting trace amounts of gluten through cross contamination and not being careful enough even though I was “gluten free.” On the advice of my doctor and through lots of research, I adopted a Paleo way of eating in mid-December. At that point, I would have hopped on one foot and ate cardboard if you told me it might make me feel better. (But actually, I couldn’t physically hop…hmm…)

With any autoimmunity, the body’s cells attack a body part mistakenly thinking it is a foreign invader. It is recommended that those with autoimmunity adopt a gluten free life because the body often grows to also view gluten as a foreign invader. If one’s body is hypersensitive, it can also mistakenly start to attack other foods with a similar molecular structure, a process called molecular mimicry. With autoimmunity, one wants to do as much as possible to calm down your system because there is a likelihood of developing other issues or autoimmune dis-ease – as you can see with how much has been going on with me. It’s important to do as much as possible to turn off or lessen the “red alert” signal your cells have activated. And this is where the Paleo diet comes in…

A Paleo diet gets back to the basics of how our ancestors ate when they were nomadic hunters and gatherers who were not confined to one geographic location and hence, didn’t depend on crops like wheat or soy. In essence, as I like to call it – K.I.S.S. – Keep It So Simple, or getting back to basics, or as I said before, Just Eat Real Food! It’s about lessening inflammation in the body, allowing its functions to get back to calm and cutting down the daily intake of sugar that causes so many issues for those with autoimmunity. By eating unprocessed food, it’s also about cutting out chemicals, unnecessary additives and GMO’s. Paleo focuses on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seafood, nuts and seeds, eggs and healthy fats. Organic produce and grass-fed meat is preferred. All food consumed is gluten free. The foods to avoid include ones that can cause a lot of inflammation including grains, dairy, sugars, legumes, processed foods, and alcohol. It still amuses me to hear a 10,000 year old way of eating being labelled a “new diet craze.”

Although at first glance this may look limiting, I promise you it’s not! I have discovered so many great new (or should I say old?) ingredients: spices, flours, fruits and vegetables, sauces, beverages. I am always satisfied, never hungry, and don’t crave sweets anymore. Cooking and baking is fun – and nourishes me mind, body and soul. I promise to break down the categories even more in a future post!

My results were quick and astounding. Within 3 days I was able to sleep in for the first time in 3 years because my morning blood sugar levels felt stable and walked across my room and didn’t fall over. In less than a month of “going Paleo” as I like to call it, the daily pain on the arch of my left foot vanished (plantar fasciitis). The stomach pain that had been a daily source of misery for 3 solid years was gone. I wept from sheer and utter joy. My pants started to feel loose and borrowing a relative’s scale (I don’t own one & don’t want to), I discovered I had dropped 20 lbs while under strict doctor’s orders not to exercise – not that I could have anyway. The painful tire-like swelling around my waist started to disappear and the episodes of being so bloated I looked pregnant never reoccurred. . The daily pain in the right side of my face and neck (the equivalent of having a headache every single day for years) disappeared. I wept. I wept so many times!

In less than 2 months, my erratic blood sugar levels continued to stabilize and my need to constantly eat to be able to function vanished. The hump on the back of my neck vanished, the swelling in my neck (goiter) went down and strength started to slowly return to my muscles and most importantly – my brain. My brain started to fire up normally again – ideas and concepts started to fly. I felt smart and creative again. Yup, bawled. Within 42 days of going Paleo, I actually skated with my mom for 10 minutes without falling over or passing out and browsed through some stores with her for an hour without losing steam. Yes, you guessed it – cried again from sheer gratitude and wonder.

Every day became a gift in a different way. I remember a friend asking,”Aren’t you sad eating in a way that takes so much out of your life?” I chimed back,”I don’t think you understand. I have got so much more given back to me than taken away!” And it was true. I didn’t think it possible, but after eliminating sugars, my cravings changed. About a week into eating Paleo, my body and consciousness shifted. My body could finally start to truly heal without worrying about constant inflammation. It’s like I said to my body,”I have taken away anything that was harming you – just concentrate on getting better now. Everything else has been taken care of.”

As I write this in January, 2015, I have just finished a 2 ½ month physiotherapy program at Neuro-fit in Los Angeles for the ataxia and have made huge improvements to my brain and body and will continue with physiotherapy at home. From January-March 2014, the Paleo lifestyle helped in so many ways but I didn’t realize the body sometimes heals much faster than the brain and although I was calming it down with meditation and at-home physiotherapy, fixing the messaging system to the rest of my body parts was a very slow process. The ataxia was very up and down from April onwards but I felt so many other areas stabilizing. I realize now how important it was to have the foundation in place that Paleo brought about for me in order to do these challenging physiotherapy sessions. My blood sugar levels needed to be firmly in order and everything fell into place in the right time. I also needed the best fuel possible to hit the highest level of healing right now.

I don’t like the word “diet” even though I know in this context it is simply a way of eating. Yes, I continue to lose weight as my body finds what works well for it, but that is merely one small part of my journey, one small part of who I am and my size does not define me. I have always been happy with myself regardless of my weight. I do not count calories, am always satisfied food-wise, and my body shape and size continues to change and wherever I land, as long as I am healthy and thriving, I am thrilled. As my way of eating has become such a big part of my life, I like to say I live a Paleo lifestyle, for food is such an important part of the fabric of our lives. I literally crave healthy food now and have so much fun concocting new recipes in my kitchen or with friends!

I don’t ever believe in using the word “cheat” if I ever partake in something not-quite-Paleo (but always remaining 100% gluten free). I prefer the term off-roading actually…. I eat so super healthy that I don’t consider tasty organic coconut ice cream a cheat, or having some hummus at a friend’s house who has gone out of her way to put out a super healthy spread and try to accommodate me, or adding pure Canadian maple syrup (a sugar) to a healthy cacao/avocado pudding. This is the rest of my life. This is my new normal and after feeling so great after feeling so bad, I welcome it with open arms . I am not “on a diet” – I don’t like that term. I am “in a healthy lifestyle.” Big difference. Eating and drinking should be enjoyable – not a chore. And yes, I do believe that although cave people did not partake in a nice glass of Pinot Grigio, there is room in my life for some alcohol – as long as I don’t go overboard with the sugar. (I did not consume alcohol or limited it severely during different stages of my gluten ataxia “homework”)

I believe everyone must find what fuel works best for his or her body. Paleo works for me and I believe it will work for many people with autoimmunity or other dis-ease in order to keep your body’s functions as calm as possible so it can do the work of keeping you vibrant. And if you are already healthy or thinking about owning your shift, the mental and physical changes will blow your mind! Who wouldn’t want more energy and vitality and then be able to share more of yourself with your loved ones? To travel? To participate in more fun activities? To thrive? Easy digestion gives the body one less thing to worry about. I wish I had done this several years ago, right when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s – perhaps my health journey would have been different. I want to offer this option and information to you so you can get healthier faster, save yourself time, money and frustration – and feel fantastic!

I look forward to sharing this food journey with you and welcome you into my kitchen as I get excited about new healthy concoctions and discoveries! I have been experimenting with all things Paleo, gluten free, egg free, raw, vegetarian and vegan. Let’s own this shift!