I'd like to say that after three years of being gluten free, and almost two years being on an autoimmune paleo diet, that I have traveling and eating at others people's houses in the bag.
In all honesty, I think I'm far more skilled at dealing with the perils inherent in eating food in a non-safe environment, BUT, the experience is still risky, no matter what.
I'm actually sitting here home alone tonight because I my husband and I were invited to a dinner party, and I couldn't go because my back is freaking out. I think the cause is that I was on vacation in my hometown for two weeks, and going back and forth to my mother and father's houses, as well as going out to eat a bunch, exposed me to all sorts of inflammation-causing foods I'm really sensitive to. Eating these foods steadily increases inflammation in my body, thus causing random seeming injuries. Not fun.
I admit, part of this is totally my fault. My Achilles heel is good Mexican food, slathered with yummy spicy salsa. Sadly, I'm not supposed to eat salsa, or any nightshade plants. (why? read here: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/nightshades)
I am human, and even with all the shit I know and all the things I've been through, I will STILL walk into a Mexican restaurant and think I can eat the mother f-in salsa and bell peppers and tomatoes and be just "fine." Uh huh. Denial, party of one please.
Though I can't actually blame this whole situation on the nightshades. going out to eat is full of all sorts of booby traps for food-sensitive folks. God knows what kind of cooking oil they use to cook your food... the horrors of GMOs and grains can be lurking anywhere (geez, I wish they still cooked with lard! then I'd be more safe. screw canola and corn. seriously.) Cross-contamination is also hard to avoid. Even eating at family's houses can be very hard. I learned my lesson with that one and tend to only eat approved foods (don't trust that your mom knows what you can or cannot eat, watch her cook it, or make something for yourself) I also scrub the hell out of every pan/fork/dish I use. I even brought my own set of dishes and pans to Ohio with me once. It made me look like a crazy weirdo, but it worked!
Oh, the food on this vacation was all so delicious though... But is it worth the pain I'm in now? The fact that I've been stuck in the house for two days recuperating and popping Aleve to no avail? Eh, hopefully one day I'll learn my lesson. But I don't think I'll ever be able to severe my attachment to going out to eat. It's just fun. Sometimes I like to pretend I'm not disabled and get a little crazy, going out for food and drinks with my friends like a normal person.
Even with all the questions to food servers and the reading of labels in your parent's pantry... bad things still happen. I even printed off allergy cards to give to servers... But you never know what goes on behind those closed kitchen doors.
It's sort of weirdly fascinating how the inflammation in my body will randomly pick a spot and settle in there when it gets angry. One time I injured my toe whilst sitting down and not doing anything to it. Seriously, I just stood-up from a chair and my toe was horribly strained. That's what this kind of autoimmune disorder does. It's wild. No wonder doctors didn't believe me for so many years.
Today it's decided to settle into one of it's favorite spots, the tendons in my lower back. The disc on L5 is flat, so I have spurs on the bone, which rub the tendons, and it gets angry easily (according to my chiro I have the spinal wear of a 70 year old. How this happened? I don't know for sure, but it was probably diet-related.) Then once it gets angry it makes all the other muscles in my back angry, and then it's just a spazz party back there.
So anyway, here I am tonight, by myself at home, sitting on the computer and listening to Clash records.
I've eaten tons of healing things... bone broth, nettle, teas, lamb steak (high in healing zinc!), ginger pills, cod liver oil... Hopefully tomorrow will be better. That's all any of us can ever hope for, eh? :)
Oh, and I saw another fantastic inspirational TED lecture that I have to share. I feel blessed that I didn't have to go through what this poor woman did, but I totally understand what she's been through with having to give-up her life's work because of a disability. I've given-up multiple careers because of mine, and I've learned so well how what you do is not who you are... and that you *can* overcome anything! It's a great lesson to learn.
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_shepherd_a_broken_body_isn_t_a_broken_person.html
G'night y'all! And don't worry about me, I'll be up and at-em and back in dance class by Wednesday, for sure!
