Food to the Rescue How six <strong>San</strong> Diegans changed their lives by changing their diet. BY DEBRA BASS 24 ediblesandiego.com
| FEATURE OLIVIA HAYO As in most things, intent makes all the difference. Making dietary changes to punish yourself typically leads to failure. But if your objective is to feel better, you can make the same changes with less resistance and more long-lasting positive results. It won’t feel like a sacrifice because you have a greater goal. If your diet makes you miserable, then it’s not the right option for you, no matter what anyone says. Your happy medium might be more animal protein, less animal protein, or no animal protein at all. And your preferred diet doesn’t have to have a name. Maybe you’re 80% vegan and 20% carnivore, or 60% keto and 40% fruitarian. Don’t let labels dictate your lifestyle; experimenting with different eating lifestyles, however, can serve a purpose. It can help you determine what satisfies your body and what satisfies your soul—or it can help you determine what doesn’t. Mentally and physically, there is no one way to eat healthily. And it should go without saying, but we’ll say it now: If you can honestly say that you feel great, sleep well, wake up energized, and you’re happy with the condition of your body, skin, hair, and nails, then read no further. You don’t need to adopt a specific dietary preference to live your best life. But if you’re curious about how these <strong>San</strong> Diegans turned their lives around with wildly different dietary styles, read on. This article shares the dietary experiences of six individuals and is not intended to make medical claims, provide dietary advice, or suggest treatments for health-related issues. Consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding treatment for a medical condition. Christina Kantzavelos 30, GLUTEN-FREE Christina Kantzavelos would like to officially apologize for all the eye rolls she gave people on a gluten-free diet. “I learned the hard way that gluten intolerance and celiac disease are very real,” she says. Kantzavelos admits that she ignored her symptoms for years. She was at her worst in graduate school, but she assumed that stress was the obvious cause. She suffered through bloating, swelling, migraines, and cramps and took it all in stride. The last straw for her was acne. “It sounds vain that it was acne that sent me to the doctor and not the other stuff, but, well, it was a lot of acne,” Kantzavelos admits with mock horror. She never had acne as a teenager, so developing blemishes after graduate school seemed a cruel twist of fate. Visiting dermatologists didn’t yield a solution. The lotions and potions didn’t help, so a friend recommended she see a naturopath, something else that Christina would have normally greeted with an eye roll, but this time she was desperate. The naturopath diagnosed her with celiac disease almost immediately. Later tests confirmed her condition—and then everything changed. Her gluten intolerance made her a lot more tolerant of gluten-free enthusiasts. “Yes, it’s a fad diet for some people, but the fact that it’s a fad drives up demand, which means that there are a lot more options for people like me,” Kantzavelos says. Besides, going gluten-free won’t harm anything but your tastebuds. She’s found many gluten-free options, including some things that rival their gluten-laden counterparts. But occasionally, she starts raving about a product that she thinks must taste as good as the original and she presents it lovingly to her spouse or family for confirmation. “The response is usually, ‘um, no, I can tell it’s missing gluten,’” she says. “So my baseline has definitely shifted.” The good news is that she doesn’t care and she doesn’t feel like she is sacrificing. Her diet is stricter than most because of other dietary issues, but she says that it doesn’t feel limiting since she focuses on what she eats that makes her feel good. She’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. She keeps her sugar intake to the bare minimum, doesn’t drink alcohol, and mostly follows a low-histamine eating regimen as well. When she “cheats,” she eats lentils, nuts, other legumes, avocados, and sometimes eggs. “I know it sounds really sad that those are my cheats, because most people think of those things Go-to snacks Laiki Crackers Gluten-Free Rice Crackers NuGo Egg White Protein Bar Justin’s Peanut or Almond Butter Packets Crunchmaster Protein Crackers Lark Ellen Farm Grain Free Bites Bubba’s Snack Mixes Bhuja Snacks Favorite Restaurants Nectarine Grove in Encinitas Starry Lane Bakery Plumeria (Thai vegan) Instagram @ buenqamino as really healthy, but they don’t agree with my body. So if I eat them, I do it in moderation,” Kantzavelos says. A licenced psychotherapist by profession, Kantzavelos is also a writer. Her favorite topics are wellness and mental health. WINTER <strong>2019</strong> | edible SAN DIEGO 25
Change language