Fireworks
Day six and I have yet to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and will certainly not be able to have a regulation happy hour. Is this a stomach bug or rehab?
Maybe my system needed to press the reset button. I just wish it had consulted with me first.
So, grits and hot tea it will be—I’m sure I will thank my body later. My stomach yells back with a gurgling and groaning like a storm brewing in my intestines. I HEAR YOU!!
After a week long bout of gastroenteritis and colitis, I begin to question everything about my nutritional lifestyle. How can this happen? What did I do wrong? And then I prayed. I promised myself that, if I survived, I would change.
On my quest to figure out what went wrong, I begin to think about the days leading up to this unsolicited cleanse. It wasn’t pretty. The Fourth of July week wouldn’t be the week I am most proud of in terms of my diet.
Fortunately I survived an eight day fast and am able to share my story of an apparent food borne illness like none I have experienced before.
Without including the gory details, I strongly believe that battling this type of infection may have been just what I needed. This is what I learned and how I have altered my lifestyle as a result.
1. I do not need to drink coffee all day long. One cup of coffee each morning is enough and all I consume now.
2. Although I love spicy foods, it is not necessary to douse every meal with hot sauce, peppers or pepper flakes. A little bit of this type of flavoring goes a long way and should be used sparingly.
3. I am a believer in happy hour; always have been. However, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can be depressive, damaging and dangerous. Now I spend “happy hour” working out and will be rewarded with 1 glass of wine when I am finished. Usually this means I am drinking my preferred beverage with dinner and don’t have time to continue imbibing before it’s time for bed.
4. I will probably never take ibuprofen again or any pain reliever for that matter.
In an attempt to soothe the pain during my bout of colitis, I took ibuprofen every 4-6 hours. Little did I know I was exacerbating the problem. If you take ibuprofen regularly you are likely causing damage to your digestive organs.
5. I drink green tea for my health everyday. Although I would prefer coffee, green tea has far more benefits including cancer prevention and improved heart health
6. I eat yogurt everyday. Yogurt has good bacteria, or probiotics that keep the bad bacteria at bay. Until recently, I hated yogurt. But, the creamy greek varieties and the added health benefits have changed my perspective.
7. I take CoQ10 everyday. My brilliant friend and Doctor of Homeopathy suggested taking this many years ago. This supplement has a plethora of benefits to include, improved heart health, anti-aging and cell repair, treatment of symptoms of Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and migraines.
I believe things happen for a reason and am thankful I can share my story. Not unlike my friend Nelson, I needed to be practicing more of what I preached. Although there were a lot of things I was doing right, there was much room for improvement.
As a result of these many changes, I have an increased level of energy, brighter skin, lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, am able to think more clearly and have improved organ function.
If you have experienced any intestinal problems recently, I have cited an article below that may be of interest to you.
For questions or comments email: suzannemcginnis@me.com
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/cyclospora-infections-rise-to-514/#.UgZbE8u9KSM