For the last 6 weeks, I have been on a mission to eliminate seed-oils from my diet. Let me explain why…
2017, I officially embarked on my “wellness journey”. (You can read about this journey HERE.)
At the beginning of this journey, I tried the keto diet. I eliminated all wheat and sugar, and ate high fat, low carbohydrates, and didn’t worry too much about protein at the time. It worked! I lost about 30lbs in 3 months, or so. However, I decided that I didn’t want to keep eating that way and wanted to eat bread and real sugar again, in moderation. Well, my body did not like that very much. Long story short, I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy and told that I was allergic to all of the proteins in wheat, including gluten. This was mid 2018. So I switched to a gluten free diet, which I loosely followed… because I would still eat wheat from time to time and take allergy pills to lessen the reactions. I know that was not a smart thing to do, but I did it. Also, it’s important to know, that I was suffering from these symptoms prior to going “keto” and already on a waiting list to see an allergist for over a year. My neck would swell up so much that doctors were concerned that I had a terrible thyroid issue, but that was not the case. The “allergy” was not as terrible, or noticeable when I was obese and suffering from many other chronic conditions caused primarily from inflammation.
At the beginning of 2019, I decided to prep for my first bodybuilding competition. Diet-wise, this required a lot of discipline and tracking macros, etc. I ate a healthy high protein, lower fat (focusing on healthy fats), and moderate carbohydrates diet, but most carbs were complex whole foods. I did not eat many processed foods. I used Epicure meal solutions to add healthy flavorings and spices to my foods. I actually enjoyed this way of eating. I was very disciplined and followed my coaches rules. I didn’t drink alcohol, I didn’t add sugar to anything, and I didn’t eat any breads, crackers, cookies, etc… not even gluten free ones!
March 2020, I was 5 weeks out from my second bodybuilding competition. I was in the absolute BEST health of my life! I lost over 80lbs and healed my body of most chronic conditions I was suffering from and medicated for. (I was still taking a Parkinson’s medication for severe RLS, which I stopped taking in 2022.)
Then, COVID hit and things went down hill from there. I started drinking alcohol again, I indulged in gluten free breads and treats pretty regularly, and I stopped caring about my physical AND mental health. But that’s a long story!
Fast forward to June 2022, I was feeling pretty awful and sluggish. I decided I should start caring about my health again. I took a progress photo and gave myself a huge reality check!! But, within a few months, I was back on track! UNTIL…
On October 2, 2022, I landed in the Emergency with a pretty severe Diverticulitis attack. Thankfully, but surprisingly (because of the pain) it was “uncomplicated”, and only mildly infected. But HOLY FREAKIN MOLY, it was soooo painful. I was diagnosed with Diverticulosis after a CT Scan found 2 Diverticula on the lower left colon. (Diverticula are small pouches created from pressure on weak spots in the colon.) I left the hospital with no explanation why… just told that they are unsure why some people get this disease. They used to believe it was caused by certain foods, but I was informed that they do not believe this anymore. Confusing, right?
Since this attack, I have suffered with many “flares”. Also, a lot of ovarian cysts, something that started happening again when I started neglecting my health during the pandemic. (I had a hysterectomy in 2016, due to severe endometriosis and adenomyosis, but they left 1 ovary for hormones,) I am fully aware that these diseases/conditions are definitely connected to diet, but I was truly trying to eat a healthy one. I did allow myself to relax a bit on the weekends, but during the week, I was very strict about eating healthy.
After another pretty severe diverticulitis attack in August 2023, I decided to make sure I was not eating any gluten/wheat ever, I thought it might be a trigger, but I still kept flaring. This was very concerning because a severe infection during a diverticulitis flare can rupture your colon. Also, I’ve heard nightmare stories of people needing invasive emergency surgery, leaving them with a colostomy bag.
In February of this year, I had another awful diverticulitis attack. Every time I have an attack, I just stop eating most solid foods, take pain reliever and then hope and pray it goes away without needing intervention. This disease truly sucks!! It also makes it hard to stay consistent with strength training or any kind of exercise when you are in pain and worried that you will rupture something every time to bend over or lift something heavy. I’ve literally been losing and gaining the same 10-15lbs for the last year. I’m also likely menopausal, which doesn’t help.
Early March, I came across this post on X…
Click here to read the THREAD: https://x.com/DrBPHealth/status/1763179841468203045
The thread basically explains that SEED OILS are destroying our gut microbiome, weakening the intestinal walls and causing leaky gut. This allows proteins, like gluten, that are not broken down, to get into our blood system and THAT my friends, triggers an immune response. The article also mentioned other proteins, like eggs and casein, which I recently started reacting to! This was super concerning to me because eggs and dairy are some of my staple protein sources.
Prior to reading this article, I honestly didn’t think I consumed seed oils. I only cook with real butter, animal fats, and sometimes olive oil. I actually tell my clients to “avoid cooking with seed-oils”. But after reading this article, I ventured off to my kitchen and started reading every single ingredient list of all the foods I was eating on a regular basis. Turns out, I was consuming A LOT of seed oils! In fact, they are in almost every multi-ingredient food item available, even the “healthy” ones!!! OMG!! I was so shocked to learn that at least 50% of my mostly “healthy” diet contained seed oils.
The entire thread/article was a huge AH HA moment for me. Everything I was reading made perfect sense and I thought it may even explain why I was suffering from diverticulitis flares. So, I decided to try what he was suggesting and eliminate seed-oils from my diet for a minimum of 6 weeks.
I started my seed-oil free journey on March 10th. I will admit that I was not 100% compliant. There were 3 occasions where I ate out and did not care about the ingredients of the foods, but still made healthy choices. I also had to learn all the seed-oil ingredient terms, which were a bit tricky. I’ve basically had to switch to a single ingredient whole food diet for the most part. I just make my own multi-ingredient foods… which is also very hard and annoying. lol But I’m learning to love it and I especially love knowing exactly what I’m putting in my body.
The results of this experiment were astounding and speak for themselves! In an amazing way.
First, I look better! Here is picture proof:
During this experiment, I was sick with a respiratory infection for the first 2 weeks and did not exercise at all. I did strength train for 4 of the 6 weeks, 2-3 times week for about 30 minutes, which is less than I normally strength train. I also did NO extra cardio on purpose. I just targeted between 8000 and 10000 steps a day. So most of my body composition results are from diet alone. I did not track calories or macros. I just prioritized protein, as usual, and avoided eating anything with seed-oils.
I have had ZERO stomach pain, diverticulitis flares, or ovarian pain. I feel like I did go though a bit of a detox in the beginning, which likely made me sick for longer than usual. I had a persistent cough for 2 weeks. I also felt a bit of inflammation after eating out and having some alcohol.
Before this experiment, I was having skin reactions and swelling on my face, neck, and chest when I ate dairy, eggs and other proteins. This is how I used to react to gluten. This has stopped.
Overall, I feel very healthy and safe to strength train again regularly. I plan to continue with a seed-oil free diet indefinitely, although I will continue to “not care” from time to time, for special occasions. However, I believe that won’t have any detrimental effects, once my gut is fully healed. But I do plan to be at least 90% compliant because this way of eating feels amazing and just might be the answer to prevent future diverticulitis attacks! Fingers crossed!!
I will share more about this journey and what I’m actually eating over the next coming weeks. In the meantime, I would like to thank Dr. BP for sharing his knowledge and I encourage you to read the article I posted above. I also noticed he has an e-book for sale on his website which I will purchase and review soon.
Any questions? Please reach out. I have provided ways to do this on my contact page.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
T =)
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