The Primal Parent

3 Days to Gluten Recovery – Special Food and Fasting

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This spiky, scratchy look of wheat is how it feels going down

Beware, graphic mental images ahead!

I ate wheat on Sunday evening. I don’t usually eat out because of multiple food allergies, celiac disease, and my inability to break down fiber. So while traveling to San Francisco last week I planned to eat very carefully. My general travel strategy is always to not eat much at all, which is actually super easy if you eat Primally. I also try to eat simply – only a couple of ingredients at a time.

So Saturday morning before I left the house I had oysters and the juice of two oranges. Sunday afternoon, when I got off the plane, I ate a warm and mushy bar of pemmican - maybe not everyone’s lunch of choice, but perfectly okay with me. Around 6pm I headed to Fisherman’s Wharf for a whole crab. Sunday morning I dined on a couple of eggs with coffee and sugar. Sunday afternoon, freshly squeezed lemonade (lemons, spring water, and sugar) and a massive turkey leg that I couldn’t finish. The guy grilling it said there were no seasonings. It enjoyed a healthy, happy, and very active two days.

I went solo to SF but Sunday night I met up with my niece at a Spanish restaurant down south for a drink. I was pretty excited to be with my sister’s daughter and to be back in Mountain View where my own daughter was born. Like an idiot, I ordered some mostly Primal tapas. I chose the chicken liver with currants (surprisingly delicious), shrimp bubbling in EVOO, and chicken mole with tiny bits of plantain. I called the next day and found out that one of the dishes was made with flour. Extra doubly incredibly stupid of me!

All day Monday and into Tuesday morning I had diarrhea. My skin broke out with a vengeance and was sandpapery all over. I even woke up with a little dandruff, something I haven’t had issues with since the old wheat eating days! My skin was dry, my eyes were red, my stomach hurt like crazy, and I had a killer headache (I NEVER get headaches). It was all rather embarrassing. I don’t know why I don’t just keep this stuff to myself. It’s not like you’d ever know…

Recovery From Bad Choices

I tell you because dumb mistakes are about as common as cloudy days. They come, they go, and the sun shines again. So here is how I made it through mine.

Monday morning I ate nothing at all. Around noon I had 5 oysters that I got from Whole Foods and I mixed the juice of one lemon and one orange with a teaspoon of white sugar. I had a lunch meeting with El Jefe around 2pm but he was fine with sushi, so I had a big plate of white tuna and octopus with gluten free soy sauce and green tea with a sugar packet. Around 9pm I ate a can of salmon with bones and skin. I had a black cup of decaf coffee somewhere in between.

Tuesday morning I had one can of salmon and a cup of chamomile tea with two teaspoons of sugar. I had a lunch date scheduled with Richard Nikoley that I wished I could have skipped because I still looked like crap, but since I was feeling pretty good by then I sucked it up and enjoyed his company. I didn’t eat much – a tiny piece of sea bass probably cooked in some shit ass vegetable oil (that’s what I think of going out to eat). I ate about 4 bites of zucchini too just so that I wasn’t finished with my meal too much before he was finished with his, and I had a cup of decaf coffee with a couple of sugar packets.

I hopped on the Caltrain towards the airport but had some time to kill and was rather hungry so I stopped in Palo Alto for some sardines and a few bites of chocolate sorbet (which I’m thinking about trying to make at home with this stuff. I’ll let you know how it goes). Back on the train, the BART, and my flight home. No more food until late Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning I still had a teensy tiny tummy ache so I continued with small meals. I had a can of sardines with some gelatin and a teaspoon of glucose powder. Later I had some oysters and later some chicken.

Thursday, I was fine. Skin cleared up, great energy, and everything back to normal.

When I’m dealing with skin problems, digestive problems, fatigue, body aches, or a foul mood, I eat very very carefully.

Healing Foods and Not Food

Oysters oysters oysters, wild sockeye salmon (canned is fine, who knows, maybe even better since it has bones and skin), raw liver, freshly squeezed lemon juice and orange juice, coconut oil, raw fish of any kind, green tea and decaf coffee – I don’t know why, I just like it. Oh and bone broth. I almost forgot the homemade soups.

And all of that comes in between a whole lot of eating nothing at all. I don’t eat anything processed, besides a little sugar I guess and, of course, I never have much of that. I don’t eat much fat and I don’t eat much cooked meat.

Fasting can be enormously healing but, if fasting isn’t an option, then eating very little can be nearly just as effective.

Healing Movement and Sunshine

I also like to walk or do yoga when I feel icky – walking when it’s warm, yoga when it’s cold. If I’m not feeling well, I may not want to read or write or do anything productive – I don’t have a TV, and so I might just walk for hours.

Sunshine is also very healing for me. On Wednesday after I returned I lay in the sun for an hour and felt 20 times better for it. Last year after my head injury it was winter time so I bought a pass to a red light bed. I don’t know with any certainty if those things are good for you, bad for you, or just a gimmick, but I tell you that it felt so therapeutic to be wrapped in the bright warm light when I was in pain and sad.

What are some of your strategies for recovery? Do you have some favorite foods or practices you’d like to share?

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53 Comments

  1. Was it in the mole sauce? I make mine with cornstarch, but I think most people use wheat flour.

    I really struggle with what to eat post-glutening, but, like you say, it has to be small meals, and easy to digest (no raw veggies, no nuts, no dairy). I’m not as sensitive now as I was, which is a relief. Last time I was accidentally glutened, I just ate chicken and plain squash for about a day until I got my appetite back.

  2. If I eat something stupid I tend to fast until the feeling that my guts are going to explode has passed, then I flush with fat.
    I’ll eat as much fat as I can lay my hands on – bacon, cheeses, coconut oil, cream.
    Like you, I can’t handle fibre but I find fat seems to work a treat and I’m usually feeling fine again within 24 – 36 hours.
    Unless I overdose on seeds or seed oils in which case I have to fast for 2 days to stop the resulting arthritis flair-up.

    • My digestive system pretty much hates bacon to begin with (we have big arguments about that), and cheese and cream don’t do me good. Coconut oil on the other hand is a good healing food for me. If I tried to eat other veg oils, though, I’d been in even more pain – definitely part of the problem with eating gluten by accident at a restaurant – there is always veg oils to contend with. ;(

      • I always soak my bacon for 30 minutes, stir, rinse, and fry. My gut is a lot happier with cleaner bacon. It’s farm bacon, only brown sugar and smoked.

  3. Ugh I can definately relate to this today. My boyfriend made a wonderful stir fry last night… and screwed up and used soy sauce. We both feel pretty bad, just him emotionally and me physically. =P

    I usually don’t have any appetite for a few days after screwing up, but everyone always tries to force food down my throat. It’s nice to hear what other people do. It’s hard to avoid making mistakes…

    • When I eat out, about the only thing I trust is sashimi. Even with that, the last time I did that I got hammered. I suspect there was soy somewhere on it. My love affair with soy ended in a vicious divorce, and I’m still paying for it. Eating out is plain dangerous for me. I miss the socialization a lot however. Its just sad to sit there and drink water watching someone else eat. I have learned to fake it pretty well though. I pace my conversation as though I’m eating too.

      • Sashimi is my safe place too. :)

        Lyle, you could just take up drinking, lol! That’s social and as long as you drink wine or spirits you won’t run into wheat. :) But really, what a world we live in, where the only things people want to do are eat, drink, and go to church! Where else can we regularly and lengthily socialize? I’d say a cafe and that’s mainly what I do these days, but most people round here aren’t into hanging out at the coffee shop on Saturday nights, unless they’re like 18 or something.

        • Ha Ha…well I do drink when I can. The only alcohol that doesn’t bother me is corn or potato vodka diluted with water or vegetable juice. Ironically, if my stomach is hurting, it will stop the pain better than anything else, including DGL – I’m mystified by this as it should be completely opposite I would think.

          So, if they have Chopin or Tito’s Handmade vodka, I order a shot with a bottle of still water. :)

          • Sounds like you’ve got the drinking thing all worked out. We really do have a lot in common! Chopin and water? That’s my drink of choice as well! It keeps my tummy happy. And the same about pain. Alcohol relieves a stomach ache like nothing else. I don’t have to drink much either, just one shot will do. :)

  4. very informative post. When i eat something wrong, i generally fast and drink lots of water until hunger comes back or i feel better.
    is there a nutrional bonus to add lemon juice to oysters , or is it ” just” because you like it ?

  5. Peggy, though your and mine ways of following a primal diet are considerably different I enormously admire you for your discipline and determined mind. I would love to read a blog post about how to be that disciplined! I eat a (for me) perfect diet during the day but I give in to some constant snacking at night (not really bad food but food I eat when I am not hungry anymore, just for the love of snacking). I do not have weight problems but I would like to find a strategy to overcome my evening snacking just because I think this is a bad habit and it confronts me with aspects of myself I do not like…

    • Thanks Iris. It’s been a long and winding road to this place. I used to have similar snacking habits and I didn’t like that about myself either. I tried many things (including drinking a lot at one point!) to quite snacking. I finally get it now (and I’m not an alcoholic lol). I have been planning a post on discipline, since that is definitely one of my strong points. Now that I know there is some interest, I will definitely do it!

      • i am interested too; Despite knowing that gluten is bad for me and makes me feel like crap, i keep eating some …arghh … would love to find the way out !

        • Ditto here as well. I know at least for me, there’s other reasons involved in my eating habits than just “hungry want food” or even “OMG I really want me some cream cheese wontons!”

          • Alright! Now I’m getting excited to write it (but I have a few others lined up so hold tight). More fodder is much welcome!

          • Concerning wheat, telling me i should not eat it, i ear ” you can’t ! ” and i want to rebel !! i also suppose there is some king of addictive ingredient in it !

          • Adeline, I don’t know what it is, but eating any junk food always leads to more junk food for me. It’s like if I’m out with some friends, decide to eat a little bit of whatever… it just leads to more and more until I feel awful and say I’m never gonna do it again!

            I get so mad at myself for not being rational! I say, “Laura, last time you ate flour and vegetable oil laden restaurant food, you felt bloated and had a nasty headache. Don’t do it!” Then sometimes.. I do it anyway! Ugh. I would love to hear your post on discipline.

  6. I love your writing. Like talking to a buddy on the phone who’s not concerned with what’s being said because its honest, candid, passionate and casual to the tone of, “You know what happened to me Rich? So I go to this restaurant…” Great post.

  7. What kind of glucose powder do you use? Most of the ones I see online are wheat-based, even though they claim to be gluten-free. I’d like to try some, but am unsure what brand to trust. Thanks for another cool post!

  8. I feel for you Peggy, I really do! I am in Barcelona at the mo and people are like: have tapas! But I am standing my ground and buying my own meat and cooking it (not doing raw just yet). Also I do not want to be paying the price of accidentally eat wheat and then suffering the consequences!

    • Skipping out on the social aspect of dinner with friends, especially while traveling, is so sad and sometimes just not possible. But feeling down just plain sucks! i spent enough years feeling horrible. Even still, while I’m pretty good at declining by now, and pretty good at asking the waiter to ask the chef, etc., sometimes I get into trouble.

  9. Peggy,

    This might be useful to you. As you know, I have many food allergies as well (from a leaky gut) and I’m a celiac. I am slowly introducing foods back that used to just wipe me out. As an example, I had cheese this week. I’ve tested allergic to all cheeses and casein. It bothered me a little early the next morning (8-12 hours later), but nothing like before when I would nearly pass out and have a nasty reaction. I think it is one or maybe two supplements. I have 2 grams of OptiMSM before I eat anything at all. I take about 4-6 grams a day total, depending on whether I eat 2 or 3 times per day. I think it is plugging the tiny holes in my small intestine as the food moves through. I skipped a day to test it, and I had a bad night and bad next day. The other supplement that might be helping is NAG, but I haven’t testing that one yet. I tried Lignisul MSM, but that was too tough on my gut…too much pain. I worked my way up with just a tiny bit of the OptiMSM over a couple weeks. I’ve been doing this for a couple of months, and I have hopes that my diet can increase in variety by using MSM. I’ve tried potatoes, but while the antinutrients bothered me less than before, it was uncomfortable enough for me to skip trying that for a while. Maybe MSM can help you too.

    Lyle

    • I tried MSM years ago. It didn’t do anything for me. No supplements have really ever worked for me. But that was before I eliminated fiber so who knows. Maybe I should try it again.

      • Perhaps you should. I’m very low fiber so maybe that’s why it’s helping me. Your fiber’s mechanical damage possibly did eliminate any benefits of MSM.

        I’m finding it’s more important avoiding bad things than consuming good things. Seems to be true from fiber to anti nutrients. All foods have both good and bad components. My list of what I could eat was getting scary small. I’m pleased the list is back to growing instead of shrinking.

        There is simply no way to avoid problem foods 100%. That’s why I love this example from your trip so much.

  10. How do you eat the oysters? I always see them at Whole Foods, and I know I should eat them, but I don’t know what to do with them? Do you eat them raw? If you eat raw fish, what kind do you buy?

    • I just shuck them and add lemon juice. That’s all. You might want to buy an oyster shucker because knives and oysters can be dangerous. Whole foods will shuck a couple for you too if you just wan to eat them there.

  11. Allergic to shellfish and bi-valves, wish I could have some yummy oysters though! I’m curious, why do you not eat much fat?

  12. I have multiple food allergies as well and I stupidly ate from a friend’s almond butter jar at a party when I forgot to bring a snack. I didn’t even think about all the double dipping that you do when you have bread in the house. I was so sick the next couple of days. Sunshine, couch/TV time, and chicken and vegetable soup made with bone broth always makes me feel better. Epsom salt/baking soda baths always make me feel better too. I isolate for a couple of days until I get back to normal because I get anxious around people after I’ve had a reaction. I don’t really see much difference GI wise but I do get terrible aches and pains and headaches. Sometimes it makes me dizzy too. I love reading your blog because it makes me feel not so alone in all this. After a couple of years, I’ve pretty much gotten used to it and can laugh off ignorant comments but every now and then something gets to me and our online community makes me feel better. Thanks for sharing your journey.

  13. I fast if I’m feeling bad from a stomach ailment. About the only thing that I will drink or eat is green tea at first. Once I feel good enough to eat something, I’ll usually try a a piece of meat (kid bite sizes) by itself to test the waters.

    I firmly believe in the repairative abilites of letting the body heal itself without having the stresses of digestion to muck up the waters.

  14. Why the white sugar?

  15. Pingback: Ginger Orange Drumsticks | The Foodie And The Family

  16. The “social aspect” of food is another topic that is worth a whole post. It wasn´t until I had become a mother and received visits from other parents with their kids that I realized the importance of the “coffee and cake habit” in Germany. When people realized that I would only offer a good coffee along with a generous amount of healthy snacks they started to stop at a bakery store and bring their own cake/cookies along. And I have to witness my daughter to stuff her face with food she`d usually ignore. Don´t get me wrong, I do not obsess with a cookie or tow for I do not want her obsess with food as well but I hate that while I manage to keep my house relatively clean visitors bring bad stuff along – that is plain impolite and I still feel helpless when it comes to those occasions.

    • Yeah, that topic is worthy of a hundred articles. Psychology.

      You set the stage with the removal of cakes and the inclusion of healthy snacks and they still came by with their own. I would almost have to say that they aren’t all that bright. Can’t they take a hint? Or are they just really that addicted. Interesting…

  17. Always good to be reminded that we all make not so great choices sometimes but we just need to step up, move on and go forward!!

    “I tell you because dumb mistakes are about as common as cloudy days. They come, they go, and the sun shines again. So here is how I made it through mine.” ~LOVE IT!

  18. Two recent stomachaches had me thinking about this very topic. In one case, I drank a cup of chicken broth followed by a cup of hot chocolate, and instantly felt much better. In the other case, I ate nothing until I had an appetite and then I sipped raw milk until I had had about three cups. After a couple hours, I felt much better. Other foods I’ve eaten when I’ve felt queasy have been small amounts of bacon or plain yogurt.

  19. When I’m not feeling well, for whatever reason, sunshine always heals me. I crave it desperately.

    I also like to drink bone broth when I have a stomach upset. :)

  20. Bone broth, definitely; Im talking the kind that turns to gelatin when you refridgerate it, too. Its like I can feel it giving my stomach a warm hug. And beef liver (or chicken liver) pate. Always makes things right for some reason!

  21. Hi Peggy, hope you’re well! I know this is an ancient post, but I have a related question – you talk about over-cooked meat – I wondered what you think about slow cooking? I got a slow cooker recently and I’ve really loved making hearty stews. I know a lot of traditional cultures have used slow-cooking techniques. What’s your take?

    • Hi Milla. As I understand it, the trick with slow cooking is maintaining that low temperature. So starting out on high and then turning it down once the pot gets going ;) is probably not such a good idea. It takes some time for the pot to cool down again. The idea of slow cooking meat isn’t to cook the heck out of it for a long time, but to cook it lightly for a long time. Then the meat should be fine.