For the last year or so, I have had chronic ankle pain. I have tried various ways to fix or mitigate it. Recently, I started looking at inflammation and foods causing inflammation. While I did not do any specific tests to measure inflammation in my body (don’t know if there are any), I decided to try out the TQI Diet. It is practiced and taught by Kathy Abascal from Vashon Island. My wife had heard about it and asked me to give it a try.
The core theory is that our body’s inflammation response is usually not balanced or measured. By toning it down, it is possible to get relief from chronic conditions.
Here is how it works
- Elimination Phase for 3 weeks
- Balanced Phase for 2 weeks, with reintroduction
In the elimination phase, certain foods have to be rigorously avoided – Dairy, Gluten, No sweeteners of any kind. No white rice, no yoghurt – (tell that to a TamBrahm!). 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. Each meal has to have 2/3rd fruits and vegetables and 1/3rd Protein / Grains. Key is proportion.
Today is Day 6. I feel different. I have had headaches last few days, but not something to knock me down. Feeling little bit spacey occasionally. My sleep has improved, but it may be due to the long weekend. I am now on track mentally and physically for the 3 week elimination. I feel confident enough to write this post.
I went cold turkey. I did not ease into it. I thought I should gamify it / socialize it a bit, so I started taking pictures of every meal and shared with my family. Lots of advice has been devoted to the optimal way to try something new / effect change in one’s life, if that’s needed. Go whole hog into it or do it in measured phases? Does it depend on your personality? When you try to make a change, does it help setting aside skepticism? In this scenario, I have been thinking about what I would do 5 weeks from now and naturally skepticism arises.
It’s about mindset, IMO. Actively setting aside short term pain for a potential long term gain goes against our instincts, but that’s probably the key to effecting any change.
I hope to update this post with how things go after 3 weeks. If you didn’t hear from me on this topic, I probably succumbed and too wimpy to admit it.
If you have experienced or tried to effect change, what has worked or not worked for you? Please share!
