Testify!

"Testify," shouted the preacher on a Sunday morning.  "Testify!  Can I get a witness?"

Old time religion is replete with urgings for the faithful to testify and tell what the Lord has done for them. Well, He's done plenty for me.  Let's sit down together sometime and I'll tell you all about it.

But here it is, Sunday, and I feel the urge to testify what a change in eating has done for me.

As I mentioned previously, I've never really been a big meat-eater.  But I've recently become convinced of the harmful possibilities of a lifestyle of regular consumption of animal proteins.  And so now I've cut out dairy, as well.  Additionally, I've scaled way back on refined grains (especially toast and breakfast cereal).  Anyone who knows me, knows that this is nothing short of a modern day miracle in itself.

Some of the most notable changes in my body have to do with issues surrounding my monthly feminine cycle.  Talking about this stuff in mixed company is still embarrassing to me, like I'm some middle school girl experiencing it for the first time.  But hey, this is real life and we're all family here, right?  If this is not an issue for you, it is for someone you know and love.  So it's worth addressing.

My monthly cycles have always been predictable with the same host of relatively mild PMS symptoms.  I have felt pretty blessed in this area, as I hear frightening tales of otherwise mild-mannered, lovely women turning into fierce, fire-breathing dragons during a certain time of the month.  So when I say that I wasn't expecting any variations in my cycle when I altered my eating habits, I hope you'll feel my sense of surprise as to what changed for me.

For many years, since pregnancy with each of my boys, I have experienced fairly intense varicose veins in my left leg.  I look okay in shorts if you only look at my right leg.  But that left leg... weird.  I have this big, raised, rope-like vein that snakes down my shin.  And on the first full day of my cycle, it takes on a life of its own, becoming more swollen and pronounced.  My lower leg and my foot become a mottled purple. And the whole things feels hot and really, really hurts.  The only thing that relieves it is to get off my feet or elevate that leg.  Sometimes while working in the kitchen for a prolonged time, I raise my foot up and put it on the counter, like a ballerina with her leg up on the barre.

...kind of like this, only not as graceful, and I'm washing a sink full of dishes instead of bending back in a beautiful pose.





Another blush-worthy symptom that happens each month is breast tenderness.  It's been predictable barometer for me to know when the monthly storm is approaching.  And while I'm still red in the face, I might as well throw in there the part about cramps.  Though they've never been very intense, they have been quite uncomfortable at times.

At this point in my testimony, it would be nice if there was a big choir singing "Hallelujah" in the background, because none of these symptoms have appeared for the last several months (since I've changed what I'm eating).

That's certainly something to sing about.

There have been other changes that have occurred as well.  Remember me saying I'd cut back on breads and cereals?  Here's the neat thing:  it has not been hard.  It has not involved will power at all.  I know it sounds too good to be true, but I'm telling the gospel truth when I proclaim that my cravings for things have greatly diminished.  They are not completely gone (yet?), but are definitely on the decline.  I have been mostly fueling my body with fresh, raw vegetables and fruits and am getting the nutrients and fiber I require.  I have no need to crave because I am satisfied.

But here is a troublesome thing.  I have a lot of energy.  "That's good," you may say.  The problem is that I've been waking up earlier than I'd like and I just lay in bed until I figure out that I'm really not tired any more and should just get up and get the day going.  The good part of this is that I'm getting a lot of exercise in, a lot of house cleaning accomplished, and am finding more time for reading and writing.  If you ask my husband and kids, they may even say I'm more cheerful.  Maybe.

Perhaps all this is only coincidence, or the planets all lining up just right for me.  But I don't think so.  I think it has everything to do with how I've been feeding my body.  Like Hippocrates said,

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

Preach it, brother!  Amen!