How I Began Healing My Gut and Mind ...

Growing up I never felt I had an issue with health. I thought I was “healthy” … because I was slender… this is the most skewed perception of health. Little did I know at the time that I was silently suffering. I struggled

with severe acne, brain fog, the brain power to retain information was non-existent, feeling tired ALL the time and extreme mood swings. While I was “silently suffering” I was also feeding the fire each and every day, through poor diet and a damaging mindset. I didn’t value myself the way I do now and didn’t see the connection between what we feed our bodies and how it can affect our overall health. I was slowly breaking … and totally unaware. In 2012 I found out I was extremely sensitive to gluten and wheat. I began the gluten free journey, and oh was it ever difficult. Especially as an 18 year old who had been eating the standard North American diet. Throughout high school and the year after I graduated, I was fueled on pasta, gold fish crackers, ice cream, cheese, chicken nuggets, A LOT of Starbucks, diet Pepsi and burgers, McDonalds Junior Chicken burgers to be exact.

I started making swaps for all things gluten … rice cakes became my best friend. While there were gluten free options in 2012 … the options were limited and quite honestly not the greatest. Over the last 10 years I have seen an immense improvement in product selection. As I navigated this new normal, I also discovered a sensitivity to dairy … not just lactose, but the dairy protein – Casein. I found dairy to be more difficult to avoid than gluten, so I figured out which dairy products bothered me and kept eating the ones I could “tolerate” – organic sour cream, ice cream once in a while and butter. I thought I was doing great … but still had not yet made the connection, that what I eat effects so much more than just an upset stomach. I was unaware that I was causing severe damage to my intestines and hormones especially.

At this point I had not been on birth control and was highly considering starting it. I booked an appointment with my doctor, she gave me all the pamphlets of my options, and I was told to choose one and book an appointment once I had made my decision. I read through them all and didn’t feel right about any of them, so I never actually booked an appointment. I look back on this decision I made at 20 and am grateful I listened to my intuition, knowing what I know now.

It wasn’t until 2015 … 2 months after my wedding, did my body begin to seriously yell. I had been experiencing severe pain on the right side of my abdomen for a few weeks, it got to the point where I couldn’t physically drive without excruciating pain. I admitted myself to the hospital and upon multiple tests and ultrasounds was told that even though my appendix were nowhere to be seen on any ultrasound, that it was probably them acting up. I was told that if it was my appendix, they will just get worse and that’s when I should come back. That is the only answer they had for me and I wasn’t satisfied with that. I knew there was something causing this constant pain. I ended up seeing multiple other doctors and each of them said that the pain will eventually go away, but unaware as to why I was experiencing what I was experiencing. After 4 months of pain, irregular periods and feeling hopeless, it was recommended to me to see a Naturopathic Doctor. At this stage in my journey, I was really not open to this …

I didn’t believe that they could do anything for me. I truly believed I needed a pill to fix it. I swallowed my pride and took the leap to see what they even had to say. I ended up having a food allergy test that tested my bodies IgG response to the tested foods. I found out I was sensitive to many foods such as all legumes, nuts, sunflower seeds, gluten, dairy and celery. My Naturopathic Doctor recommended I remove all these foods for 3 months and assess at that point if I had noticed any changes. I just wanted the pain gone, so I eliminated everything on the list I was given. 3 months later… The pain was gone, and I was back to having a regular period. I felt better overall. It was tough, and defeating but I am grateful I stuck through the uncomfy as I have been thriving ever since. Over the last 7 years I have since slowly introduced legumes, nuts, seeds and celery back into my diet. I stay away from gluten and dairy 100% of time, as well as lentils as I still have a difficult time digesting them and I feel incredibly sick when I have eaten them.

(Did you know celery carries a similar protein as gluten, so it is common to be sensitive to celery when sensitive to gluten.)

*For reference: an IgG response is not always considered a “true allergy” as it can take sometimes days for your body to respond. It usually affects the body in different ways; sore stomach, brain fog, acne, temper etc – accumulative over time life threatening reaction. An IgE response test, tests for the typical allergic reaction response – hives, respiratory issues, swelling ... etc – immediate life-threatening reaction.

Over the last 7 years I have watched my chronic pain disappear, my brain fog evaporate, my ability to retain information increase exponentially, my acne basically vanish and the inflammation I was experiencing throughout my entire body melt away. I look back at photos of myself … and boy did I have some serious inflammation happening, especially within my face.

Since fixing my gut and working on balancing my hormones I have also stumbled upon the journey of mental health. I have an extreme passion for mental health, there is so much I was subtly taught as a child that I am working on improving or basically eliminating from my thought process. Like, positive body talk and how powerful words really are. I have since discovered that I can do anything I set my mind to and there are truly no limits. Change is so incredibly important and required when growing. That failure is beautiful and should be celebrated, not condoned. Its truly the only way we learn. I am an advocate for myself in standing up for what truly brings joy into my life and an advocate for encouraging others to find the same powerful voice. Life is beautiful and we are here to enjoy it. We are here on this earth at this exact time with the talents and interests we have for an incredible reason. Follow those interests, talents and passions and create a beautiful life for yourself.

I have created this space to share my journey, talents, interests and encourage others to do the same. I hope this can act as a guide to encourage you to continue on whatever journey you are on. I will be posting recipes, restaurant tips, travel tips, gluten free/dairy free/vegan tips, artwork, home décor and design ideas, mindset empowerment and anything else I find myself diving into!

Thanks for joining me on this journey,

xo Kait