I have a confession: I used to be the gluten free girl. You know the one, who has no actual medical issues with gluten (and in my case, dairy as well), but constantly feels the need to point out their intolerance? Going to restaurants with me was embarrassing to say the least. Ask my sister.
Why did I do it? No, I was not purposely trying to be annoying (though, to be fair, I needed a new topic to complain about). From February - July of 2016, I declared myself to be gluten and dairy free. This diet is popular in the autism/asperger's community, but it is also used for ADD/ADHD (which I had been diagnosed with that past year).
I don't think it should surprise any of you that I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. To be fair, I was a very diligent and focused student all through grade school, so I didn't show any real signs of it until college. For me, the drive to succeed and get good grades and be a perfect student overcompensated for any focus issues with my ADHD. There is also a recent studies on "adult onset ADHD", which could be interesting for my mental health. Whatever it is, the traits I blamed on my "creative mind" and "quirky personality" became more and more problematic to my way of life in college, and my new psychiatrist decided to test out the diagnosis.
Fast forward a couple months later. I was taking, and still take, medication for my focus. This helps a lot to keep my mind in a relative order, and helps with my executive functioning.
After the basics of the diagnosis and treatment had been set in place, and I was finally able to use google without drifting into 12 tabs of cat memes and SNL clips, I started doing research about different ways to deal with ADHD.
My parents were pretty centered on the fact that I had to follow my doctor's orders with medication, planner usage, sleep, etc. I was okay with all that, but I wanted more. Maybe it's my anxiety, but I crave control. Even though I knew the plan I was on was working, I wanted more. I wanted to find Pinterest sites and inspiring ways to manage my already managed issue.
I found quite a few of those "mommy blog" type of sites discussing how going gluten free (a product found in breads, crackers, etc.) and casein free (a product found in dairy) had helped their child go medication free and they now use essential oils and their child is so happy and relaxed and better and here are recipes if you just subscribe to their email list!
I do not doubt that this type of diet could be really helpful for children and adults with various neurological disorders. There are books and cookbooks and even research studies on the effectiveness of these types of dietary changes. But, in the end, a large aspect of its success can be attributed to the placebo effect.
In a lot of ways, I was privileged with my dietary choices. When I demanded ridiculous order details at restaurants, I would never know if they accidentally added butter instead of margarine. However, for many who do have serious food allergies and intolerances, this type of leeway in dieting is not an option.
I needed to stop externalizing my anxieties and externalizing blame. If I felt groggy one afternoon, I would tell myself the sauce I had at lunch probably had gluten and it was someone else's fault.
It is incredibly difficult to begin the process of accepting responsibility for your mistakes and accepting blame. It is so, so difficult to admit that there is not a food choice that made your body this way, but it's a chronic issue that you will have to tackle every day. And some days are hard. Some afternoons I would love to say I don't feel well and just lay on the couch for a few hours. It's fine to do that-- as long as I am taking responsibility for that decision, and not putting the blame on external factors.
Take care of yourself, in any way you can. By accepting responsibility for our behaviors and habits, we begin to see our personal power to change ourselves and our environments. It is so easy to blame external factors for our mistakes. But maybe it's not the gluten, or the dairy, or the weather. Maybe it's just a matter of getting up, clearing your desk, and just starting. Stop looking for reasons why you are failing, and you will start to see the opportunities to expand your horizons and flourish.
From strength to strength, Rivi
I found quite a few of those "mommy blog" type of sites discussing how going gluten free (a product found in breads, crackers, etc.) and casein free (a product found in dairy) had helped their child go medication free and they now use essential oils and their child is so happy and relaxed and better and here are recipes if you just subscribe to their email list!
I do not doubt that this type of diet could be really helpful for children and adults with various neurological disorders. There are books and cookbooks and even research studies on the effectiveness of these types of dietary changes. But, in the end, a large aspect of its success can be attributed to the placebo effect.
In a lot of ways, I was privileged with my dietary choices. When I demanded ridiculous order details at restaurants, I would never know if they accidentally added butter instead of margarine. However, for many who do have serious food allergies and intolerances, this type of leeway in dieting is not an option.
I needed to stop externalizing my anxieties and externalizing blame. If I felt groggy one afternoon, I would tell myself the sauce I had at lunch probably had gluten and it was someone else's fault.
It is incredibly difficult to begin the process of accepting responsibility for your mistakes and accepting blame. It is so, so difficult to admit that there is not a food choice that made your body this way, but it's a chronic issue that you will have to tackle every day. And some days are hard. Some afternoons I would love to say I don't feel well and just lay on the couch for a few hours. It's fine to do that-- as long as I am taking responsibility for that decision, and not putting the blame on external factors.
Take care of yourself, in any way you can. By accepting responsibility for our behaviors and habits, we begin to see our personal power to change ourselves and our environments. It is so easy to blame external factors for our mistakes. But maybe it's not the gluten, or the dairy, or the weather. Maybe it's just a matter of getting up, clearing your desk, and just starting. Stop looking for reasons why you are failing, and you will start to see the opportunities to expand your horizons and flourish.
From strength to strength, Rivi
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