The AIP diet from my hotel room goes on. I can't do the diet properly from here. I'm supposed to be eating kidney and liver and other "offal," but I need an actual kitchen to prepare those things right, and more fridge space for the defrosting, since grass-fed offal meat is usually found, if at all, frozen.

I'll be seeing a new second doctor tomorrow (wonder what we'll call him in this blog) who should be able to give me personalized diet advice. I am feeling weaker, tireder, and in more pain than ever. Is it a coincidence, or is it just that the autoimmune disease is starting to work its magic? Maybe all this stress (manage it, though I try) is causing it to worsen? Or could it be that this diet I'm on is not working for me? I have had extremely itchy eyes the entire time; what could be the allergen behind that? Maybe something I'm still eating? Maybe the industrial strength hotel cleaning products?

Pictured above is Dragon's Tongue stems, red onions, and garlic. Once the stems were soft, I added the Dragon's Tongue greens and covered with an inverted pie tin. Served with fresh salad, below, including some raw Dragon's Tongue, and steak:

The weirdest thing though... This was my second attempt today to eat a steak. I literally couldn't chew or swallow the first one. I figured it had to be something wrong with how it was cooked, but on the second attempt, I experienced the same exact problem. Is it me? How much might I be harming my gut microbiome with this diet? Were any of my helper bacteria relying on a food source that I cut out? I've been reading I Contain Multitudes; really eye-opening about the many delicate balances in our bodies, and especially our guts. I am really so glad I'll be talking to a new doctor tomorrow. I want to heal!!

#microbiome #dragonstongue #paleomom #lupus #autoimmune #icontainmultitudes