Even after going through a series of colonics appointments, adapting a more clean living lifestyle (mostly vegan foods and green juicing), I was still having some digestive issues. Though no longer dependent on coffee to help me take care of my morning business in the bathroom. Rather hot lemon water and green juice was all I needed. For someone like me with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), this was a huge triumph!

However, it wasn’t until my colonics practitioner suggested that I get tested for food allergies, that I seriously considered this further. It was time to get to the bottom of this. As flushing my system out of what was irritating it with regular colonics appointments, didn’t seem like the end all be all solution. This led me to ask my wellness chiro if I could get tested through his office, hoping this would be covered by insurance. So I left with an ALCAT kit with vitals to take with me for bloodwork to a lab.

About two weeks later, I received a report at my next wellness chiro appt. It revealed a list of severe, moderate, and mild intolerations to fruits, vegetables, spices, grains, and additives. It came with a plan to eliminate my intolerations for 3-6 months, a list of all the acceptable foods for my body, and one 30 min consultation with a nutritionist.

It turned out that I had 26 severe and moderate intolerations. For me, this included soy, wheat (though not gluten intolerant), rice (all types), onions, cocoa (chocolate), egg whites, potatoes, pumpkin, beets, strawberries, spirulina, and wheat grass, to name a few. Yes, a little overwhelming when you just focus on what you need to eliminate.

My biggest concerns were regarding how I could possibly eliminate some of these items like onions for up to 6 months. What was I not supposed to eat soup all winter long? Well, that’s just ridiculous, I thought. And how much more time will I spend now prepping my food? Oh my goodness.

Initially, as you can imagine, I was quite overwhelmed by these results, especially since I was eating many of these items on a regular basis. And to top it off, almost every label of healthy items I was eating (organic soup, organic energy bars, and healthy veggie burgers w/minimal ingredients) contained something from the list like soy, onions, brown rice syrup, brown rice protein, pumpkin seeds, wheat, and/or spirulina.

I just wanted to cry from feeling discouraged and sad about all these restrictions. And then…I decided to take action. I got myself to Trader Joe’s with my sister, Amanda, and I then realized immediately how much abundance of food choices there were. It felt as if I was walking into TJ’s for the very first time.

I also decided to get cold pressed juice for the week at Whole Foods (it turned out to be the entire month of December) to simplify my life. I decided to commit entirely to this food intoleration elimination program come January 2014, to alleviate the stress of taking on something extra in the month of December. Then I felt so much better and afterwards focused on my gratitude.

By realizing what I’m grateful for, first and foremost my health this shifted my focus and put things into perspective. Because if it wasn’t for this test, I’d be lacking the awareness of what’s actually causing inflammation in my body, which goes beyond digestive issues. I can choose now to make better choices for my health. I can choose now to live healthy and free! (Click to Tweet!) And now the overindulgence with sugar and chocolate will come to an end. I’ll learn to have more self-control with sweets. I will be liberated!

I’m grateful for realizing all the abundance of food options, new or forgotten food recipes. I will learn to cook more and healthier than ever before! More updates to come in a future blog article on what kind of foods and recipes I’ll be using from my fav wellness authors and health experts!

And who knows what other positives will really come of this? So any time I may get discouraged with this new health lifestyle, I’ll return to these steps and questions (shared below), and get myself back to my yoga mat. Finally, I’ll remind myself of the blessings and opportunities that this brings to me at such perfect timing.

May your New Year be filled with adventures, abundance, health, love, and happiness!! May you take more risks, live more intentionally, and travel the world fearlessly! Namaste!

Take Action Now to Honor Your C&R Self!
- As with any challenge, ask yourself, what can I learn from this?
- How can you come from a place of abundance rather than a lack mentality?
- What can you do to embrace this moment or challenge that you’re experiencing right now?
- What actions can you take to set yourself up for success?
- Make a decision today and commit to one change. Then schedule when you’ll get started!

It’s your turn now; what’s your health commitment for the New Year? How will you set yourself up for success? Let’s support one another towards honoring ourselves by setting that intention and making it real. I want to hear from you, so tell me about it by commenting below!

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Sarina is currently working on her first book, Courageous & Remarkable Self: Take Risks, Live More Intentionally, and Travel the World Fearlessly.

Did this blog article resonate with you? Then like it, share it, and/or comment below. Also, be sure to Join the Courageous & Remarkable Self Movement–it’s FREE! Sign up to make sure you’re first to know about updates and C&R Self strategies. Also, be one of the first to know when C&R Self is accepted by a publisher as a book and all the exciting updates to come. Namaste!