The "No No No" Diet
I have recently been introduced to Dr. Charlie Fagenholz. Luckily, he goes by Dr. Charlie, ‘cause I don’t think I can say his last name!
I was put on what I call the “No, No, No” diet:
No Gluten
No Dairy
No Eggs
No Alcohol :(
No Soy
No Fermented Foods or Drinks :(
No Sweeteners
No Dried Fruits
No Mushrooms
No Carrot Juice
Sad isn’t it?
The reason I was put on this diet is because of yeast overgrowth. I have known about this forever and a day but never wanted to change my ways, because, well, look at the restrictive diet!!
And I definitely didn’t want to do it during 2020 - AKA the most fucked up year of our lives. I NEEDED alcohol to cope with the stupidity that was doled out constantly.
Out of all the “No’s,” I am realizing the hardest one has been, oddly enough not alcohol, but fermented foods.
Now that my favorite drinking buddy is all fucked up after having neck surgery, I have no one to drink with.
OK, that’s a lie. I have more drinking buddies, but I’m trying!
Turns out my 2 favorite things on the planet (once alcohol is removed) are/have fermented products in them: mayonnaise and hot sauce.
Sigh.
For all of a second, I was so happy I had switched to Veganaise which is gluten free, soy free, egg free (specifying the no egg for those that don’t know that Vegans don’t eat eggs), but in falling down the rabbit hole of fermentation, I found out that mayo has vinegar… aka fermentation. I. Am. Heart Broken.
WHY? WHY?!! Ugh.
Anyhow, in reading Dr. Charlie’s Food Sensitivity blog (https://www.drcharliedc.com/blog/food-sensitivities), I found some out some interesting information and opinions behind the reason for the “No.”
There are 9 things he thinks you shouldn’t eat (in a general overview):
1) Caffeine
2) Gluten
3) Dairy
4) Eggs
5) Corn
6) Oats
7) Soy
8) Peanut
9) Nightshades
Honestly, by removing all these things you are bound to feel better. You have no choice.
So I tested OK for caffeine (phhhhhhhew). Dr. Charlie is obviously not a coffee drinker because he thinks warm water with lemon can be a substitute. Yeah…. Ummm, no. I have tried all the non coffee subs: that DISGUSTING dandelion “coffee/tea,” decaf, warm water and lemon, annnnnnd no thank you.
I prefer to limit my coffee intake than use a sub. But then, I also tested fine to having it in my life.
I wasn’t told anything about corn, oats, peanuts and nightshades, which are potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, cayenne pepper, paprika. I actually don’t usually eat corn being it’s been modified. (There doesn’t exist a non modified version of corn, even if it’s organic).
So it’s definitely not a staple for me. I only have it every so often for Taco Tuesday because, well, it’s Taco Tuesday. But I only have one tortilla per taco AND I don’t eat them often, unless Papa Taj is in town and then it turns into every week.
I also don’t eat much soy. I hate tofu, tempeh, etc.. I only have soy sauce maybe once a month with a poke bowl or when I go to sushi (which hasn’t been often lately).
I LOVE peanuts so the fact that it’s on this list is very sad to me. That being sad, it wasn’t banned on my “No No No” diet, so I am not paying attention to this other list.
Teeheehe. But honestly, I don’t have them often anyhow.
I hate oatmeal. So there’s that. It’s gruel, people. Gruel just doesn’t sound appetizing to me. You can dress it any way you want, by calling it a nicer name, but just like Carrie Bradshaw said: “A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit.”
Ok, well, enough about ME. On to YOU. Read his blog to start, it’s explains his reasons.
On my end, I would like you to know that we all have food sensitivities. A sensitivity isn’t an allergic reaction. Ok, it kinda is, but not to the extent of an allergic reaction, so you have no need for an epi pen, etc.
BUT over time it affects our bodies. SIBO is a big one lately, as are Leaky Gut, inflammation in the body, to name a few.
Removing the 9 things from this list will help you considerably. If you don’t want to go that route, you can always book an appointment with Dr. Charlie and he can give you a more personalized “No No No” diet because it WILL be a “No No No’ diet regardless.
If you’re having problems losing weight or if you are always catching colds, not sleeping well, etc., cleaning up your diet will help A LOT. I just had a consult with a patient and he wanted to come see me for insomnia. Chatting with him, I mentioned that they are many reasons people have insomnia: stress, exercising too late, blue light from phones/computer, but also gut health.
(If your body is overworking trying to breakdown foods, or you have a sensitivity to them, it won’t allow you to sleep. The more time you have spent eating these foods, it can affect your sleep.)
Turns out, his doctor had just given him medication for gut issues.
So I told him to start the “No No No” diet, add acupuncture, and watch miracles happen. Just kidding, it will help tremendously, but it’s no miracle. It’ll be work on BOTH our parts. I told him it would take time. He hadn’t just gotten to this point in a couple of stressful days, but a combination of unhealthy eating and stress. When I mentioned no fermented foods, his eyes bugged out. Let me also mention he’s a Type II diabetic.
OMG. I totally derailed a little didn’t I? Focus, Sabrina! FOCUS!
“EVERY TIME YOU EAT, YOU ARE EITHER FEEDING OR FIGHTING DISEASE.”
I think this is the most important quote ever.
I think people think they are invincible. Maybe even robotic, being when younger they got past things so quickly. But just like in compounding money, by compounding bad foods/habits, instead of having a lot of money in the bank, you are at a deficit and in bad health, but you are compounding the illnesses!
You may not realize it, but you shouldn’t be waking up with pain in your feet, back, neck, etc.. It’s not due to “old age.” It’s due to these food sensitivities causing inflammation in your body AKA aches and pain.
So the moral of this blog: start the “No No No” diet.
Give it a good 2 weeks. I’m currently on week 2, day 2. I haven’t been able to do it 100%. Everyday, I have one thing I’m not supposed to have, BUT it’s at a diminished amount.
Baby steps.
I plan on doing this diet until the end of May. So that would be 6 weeks exactly. I do have another appointment with Dr. Charlie next week, so we’ll see if he tweaks my diet. That’s another thing about food sensitivities. They change. Other foods you have an issue with had been masked because you were eating something that was causing a bigger inflammation.
You got this. You can do it. I believe in you.