Bottom's Up

Post WOD Chamomile Tea with lemon

In the past six days, yes, it's only been six days, I've made drastic changes to my diet.  As a warning, this blog may very well be incredibly boring.  It's more of a journal entry of my adjustment to the new "rules." When I say, "diet" I don't mean of the Jenny Craig variety.  I mean what I consume on a daily basis.  For the sake of being repetitive, I've eliminated gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol due to a medical condition.  And for the sake of transparency, I'm still having one cup of flavored caffeinated coffee a day, a vast reduction from my previous consumption that will be eliminated over the next few weeks to avoid headaches and re-establish better sleeping habits.  I've recently discovered the vast reach that Gluten has on, well, everything.

I woke up this morning and felt amazing.  Truly amazing. I had slept well.  My best friend Casey pointed out on our drive to CrossFit Omaha that might be, in part, to not consuming two pots of coffee the day before.  Well-played, Casey.  Well-played.  And after our WOD we stopped by The Tea Smith for some fancy tea. I'll have much more on the subject of tea, but suffice it to say, it's become my coffee substitute during the day.  My only issue, is that outside of chilled and sweet tea, I don't know anything about hot tea.

LaCroix and frozen organic
raspberries

I asked the girl at the counter what would be a good loose leaf tea to start with and she had me try Almond Apple delight. The cool thing about it, was that it wasn't even tea, it was dried fruit.  I loved it!  I have a lot to learn, but I'm finding substitutes and my new project is going to be finding a tea pot for my stove top.

Beyond caffeine lies the subject of alcohol.  I've never hidden the fact that I love the flavor of red wine and a cold beer.  Eliminating alcohol was an easy decision.  It's tough on the esophagus and tends to irritate the stomach which causes more acid production.  So, it's not a direct impact on Barrett's Esophagus, rather, it's a way to eliminate GERD and reflux.  The next scope I get will be an indication if all the steps I am taking are making an impact.

So far I haven't missed it, but I've gotten creative in having something similar... LaCroix sparkling water, and frozen organic fruit.  A few glasses (in a wine glass, no less) has been an enjoyable treat this week.  Tonight, I'm having some girlfriends over to watch the play-off game, have some snacks, and a few drinks.  I'll be maintaining my diet without limiting theirs.  Bottom's up!