An Unexpected Benefit

Those of you who have been following this blog know that I have had to change my diet entirely.  It took some time--I didn't do it all at once.  I started by eliminating potatoes, then coffee and red meat.  Then I incorporated tumeric, fish-oil, bee pollen, and spirulina supplements daily.  Next to go was wheat, dairy, alcohol, and refined sugar.  It's an anti-inflammatory diet.  I eat a lot more brown and wild rice, almond milk, salmon, and golden flax seeds than I did before.

Don't get me wrong, with the exception of potatoes, I can have any of those things as a special treat.   I'm not allergic to them, they can just aggravate my condition.

It's also not as difficult as I thought that it would be.  I LOVE wheat in particular--bread, pasteries, cakes, cookies, crackers, pasta--you name it.  I really wasn't sure that I'd have the willpower to give it up.  But I have a few things working in my favor.  First, it's summer--I don't have to get up early and go to work as I do not have a rigorous teaching schedule.  So I have some time to make some food in the morning and to adapt to this new diet. 

Second, I have a rice-maker, which is one of the most glorious kitchen devices available.  I can put the rice in at night and when I wake up in the morning I have brown rice porridge ready and waiting.  SO EASY.

And third, Christian has been really fantastic about trying to make things which I am able to eat.  He is really the cook around these parts.  Check out this grilled swordfish with mango and avocado chutney, wild rice, and kale with carrots and candied walnuts that he made the other night. 

Back to the unexpected benefit.

I used to go to Erin Wong, a wonderful aesthetician in Oakland who would give me facials every few weeks.  I don't really get pimples too much, but I would always get plenty of blackheads and whiteheads--I just had generally congested skin.  She had advised me a few times to try giving up dairy, but I scoffed at this.  Give up cheese?  Cream in my coffee?  Milk chocolate?  Dairy's supposed to be good for your skin and bones.  Woman, please--that's the worst piece of hippie advice I've ever heard. 

But I'll be damned if she wasn't right.  My skin looks better than it has ever looked in my life!!!!! NO KIDDING.  Erin, I should have listened to you.  You were right, I was wrong.