Changes: The Good News/the Different/the Undesired

The Good
The grains: Today marks my 30th day off of all grains. There were a few days when I didn't think I'd make it, but I have. My friend Cheryl asked me why I decided to get off of them. I told her it was because I felt better when I was not eating wheat, found that I was eating lots more oats, and decided to see what it was like to be off of all grains for 90 days. 
I've also wondered if certain grain components have affected my absorption of nutrients and contributed to inflammation in my body (you can read more about that here, on the Wellness Mama blog). 
The probiotics: I've been eating raw (and organic, mostly) sauerkraut for about a month to boost my body's ability to take in nutrition by boosting my gut health. A couple of weeks ago I added daily consumption of capsules containing a weird dirt (well, soil)-based blend of probiotics, as well. 
Results: I've had several positive results from these changes:

Getting Very Narrow , and Quite Quickly

Ixnay the aingray... | www.healthline.com

Day 4 of being off of granola. Day 2 and 3 were a bit hard because of carb cravings that have, fortunately, passed. 

I'm now forgoing all grains  for 90 days. I will be eating carbs, however: beans, yams, dark chocolate, and fruit (including, for now, small quantities of raisins and medjool dates).
Also, I seem to be a lot more sensitive to grains than I ever imagined. 
Exhibit 1: Two days ago I had two Trader Joe's falafels (a full serving is three). I've had these many times before, but I made a point of reading the ingredients closely this time. Wheat was way down on the list (after some of the spices, for gawd's sake!), so I thought the falafel would be safe to eat. 
No. Within 20 minutes my indicator elbows were back, cracking and popping like crazy. 
Exhibit 2: I am letting myself have one serving of dark chocolate daily.Today and yesterday (well, I had to be sure) I had one serving of TJ's dark chocolate with almonds. The  indicator elbows happened again."Wot!" thought I.  I can eat almonds, and I can eat chocolate, so what was this all about. 
I went to the label and what did I spy: "MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF WHEAT, MILK, PEANUTS, OTHER TREE NUTS AND SOY." Never in my life have I been this sensitive to food. Traces? 
Damn.  The road is getting narrower, and quickly.

Detox

Yes, I've been absent from here for months! The reasons are quite boring and pedestrian, so I'll spare you. And yes, my curiosity about food also went out the window--as did conscious eating. 

Coney Island. © 1997 by Jeffrey Stanton.

I don't think my experience is any different from that of millions of people attempting to create and maintain better habits and lose weight. It is humbling to admit that, although I'm very special to myself, I and my food challenges make me one of millions. In that universe, I am a veritable face in the crowd.
So--I have started over. I've also downsized my expectations, and am focused only on the process, not the when. In summary, I'm kinder and more patient with myself. Here's what happened:

From Peanuts to Donuts in Two Hours Flat

subtitle: What Was I Thinking? Well, I Wasn't.

I was sitting in a restaurant today eating tofu, rice, and veggies. Then--as if from a blackout--I realized I'd been absent-mindedly scratching my ears, face, and thumb knuckles for several minutes--and that I, a person with a bit of an allergy to peanuts (see "Nuts--Who Knew?"), was eating a meal based on a peanut-laced sauce. Eating peanuts for the first time in four months, and having the same allergy symptoms as before.
I remember feeling my throat phlegming up, and asking the server if (wheat) flour was in the sauce (you know, the peanut-tomato sauce the menu stated was an element of the African Nut Bowl? Hello!). Oh no, she said. "It's gluten-free."
Now, I haven't had any alcohol since 1984. If I see alcohol as part of a food item, even as flavoring, I automatically reject it. Why I didn't do this with this, I don't know.
Well, it gets worse (or more interesting, depending on your view).  A craving for bakery goods/cookies swept over me half an hour later. I stopped at a grocery store on my way home.
I didn't even look for gluten-free baked goods. It was all about the wheat (not consumed for 4 months) and sugar. I was propulsed through the aisles like a heat-seeking missile to my ultimate target: a blueberry muffin and a glazed cake donut.
I did eat a very healthy dinner a couple of hours later. Then I addressed the baked goods: which one should I eat first? Should I eat them both? Now?

I bit into the donut, and immediately regretted it. It was greasy, chemically, with  that flat, acrid taste of excessive sugar. I then broke the muffin in half, taking a bite from the bottom. It was just a small step up in quality from the donut. I bit into the top--with most of the blueberries and the crunching topping. It was tastier, so I ate it all. I threw the rest (left) away.
The wheat/sugar hit my system, and bad: my stomach bloated almost immediately, the itching increased and spread to other body parts. It's 90 minutes later and I am still scratching--a lot.
Takeaway?  (1) My food intolerances might trigger one another. I clearly need to stay away from them all; and (2) I need to be more conscious of my food choices, even when I think I am (and especially so when eating out).

The Six Big Things I've Learned So Far

1. Drinking lots of water, every day, is hard.
2.  I feel better when I eat lots of vegetables and fruit, and don't eat wheat, dairy (the cow's milk kind), sugar, and lots of carbs (including grains).
3. Never, ever do you lose weight in the way you want, much less where you want.
4. I am allergic to peanuts (not in the anaphylactic shock kinda way, just the itchy-face-throat-and-head way), and I did not know that. (Maybe soy, too. Jeez.)
5.  Beet juice is very, very good. Beet juice stains, not so much.
6. I mourn the loss of some foods, the feelings they gave (or took away). Even the lost   potential solace they might provide, I mourn. A strange and curious sorrow.