Eating Your Way to Better Movement

Hi! This is Angie. Cedar Hill Physical Therapy’s Practice Manager…and Paul’s wife. I’d like to share a story that I think may resonate with some of you out there.

In my 20s, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. It manifested in lethargy and severe joint and bone pain to the point I had to withdraw from university for a semester and spent most of my time in bed or a warm bath. It eventually went into remission, although I continued to have occasional flare-ups from time to time.

Once in remission, my lifestyle changed. I became more active. I ate more fresh fruits and vegetables. I enjoyed hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking. I was having fun and enjoying life.

This past November, a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, I noticed that old, familiar pain in my arms and legs when I would lie down to sleep each night. It got to the point I began taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications to try and dull the pain. As I would lie awake at night unable to sleep, I began to think about my lifestyle. I knew I wasn’t eating like I should be. I was drinking lots of colas, eating processed foods, and hardly getting any exercise. I felt like I needed to detox.

I decided to try the Whole30 program. You know, it’s the diet that emphasizes whole foods and eliminates sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy. I knew it was what I needed, but I thought, “How in the world am I going to cut out all of this?” Well, it was much easier than I thought it would be.

I felt the difference almost immediately. I had more energy and no joint or bone pain. Other benefits gained were no more stuffy sinuses, chronic cough, or occasional upset tummy. In fact, I felt so much better, I was ready to do it again at the end of 30 days. The holidays put a damper on things, but now that it is the new year, I’m ready to clean up my eating again.

I’ve had several people ask me for my favorite Whole30 recipes, so I thought I would share them here with you. I’ll be posting a different recipe every Friday here on our blog. Perhaps they’ll be a bonus recipe or two throughout the weeks as well. I hope you enjoy them and that they help you move better and feel better too!