All last week I had horrible stomach cramps. Doing jumping jacks was even uncomfortable. My tummy was not pleased with me so I set out to determine what the culprit was.
My first guess was dairy- it seems that just about everyone is susceptible to minor dairy intolerance and I myself occasionally can't seem to handle dairy products very well, so that would make sense. That is, it would make sense if I were consuming very many dairy products, which I had neglected to do (this realization sparked a sudden
oh-man-I-want-milkyogurtcheese reaction that I was happy to indulge in. Yum).
Then I wondered if I had been having too many processed foods. I thought that going on a no-processed-foods detox for a week would help, but I'm well aware that that would have been a foolish choice to make the week of Halloween! And then I had to acknowledge, too, that my diet really doesn't contain many processed foods, and there's no reason whatsoever why my body would reject the small amount that I
do eat.
It wasn't until I was on my third bowl of oatmeal in one day that I considered that the problem might be my consumption of fiber. There is so much urging to eat fiber-rich foods and how it is vitally important, but what about when we reach levels that are too high? Eating more than enough oatmeal and other whole grains, vegetables and high-fiber fruits was causing my stomach to be upset. So I cut back on how much oatmeal I was eating and shortly thereafter, because of that small change, the cramps subsided.
This problem of overdoing it has also occurred in the past when I start exercising too much- to the point when I'd just feel constantly tired. Exercise is supposed to be energizing, so I'd increase my exercise before understanding that overdoing it was the issue, and cutting back just a little bit was the cure.
I completely advocate high fiber foods. What I do suggest, however, is that you take into consideration how much fiber you currently eat, how much fiber you consume in one sitting (I strongly recommend spreading several high fiber foods over the course of the day to ward off the stomach problems!), and how much you ought to be getting. If you are far below the quota, then only increase your intake very gradually to work your way up. And be careful not to go too far above and beyond the recommended amount. Too much of something- in nutrition, exercise, and just about every other aspect of your life- is just as bad as too little of something (as my train of thought veers toward how much food we as North Americans eat and the corresponding health problems associated with it... but we'll save that discussion for another day!).
Evaluate the balance in your life. If something seems amiss, examine all the factors to see if overdoing it is the problem!
Have you fallen into an overdoing-it situation? Was it because of habit, preference, or something that was simply happenstance? And how did you remedy the issue? Leave me a comment!
My first guess was dairy- it seems that just about everyone is susceptible to minor dairy intolerance and I myself occasionally can't seem to handle dairy products very well, so that would make sense. That is, it would make sense if I were consuming very many dairy products, which I had neglected to do (this realization sparked a sudden oh-man-I-want-milkyogurtcheese reaction that I was happy to indulge in. Yum).
Then I wondered if I had been having too many processed foods. I thought that going on a no-processed-foods detox for a week would help, but I'm well aware that that would have been a foolish choice to make the week of Halloween! And then I had to acknowledge, too, that my diet really doesn't contain many processed foods, and there's no reason whatsoever why my body would reject the small amount that I do eat.
It wasn't until I was on my third bowl of oatmeal in one day that I considered that the problem might be my consumption of fiber. There is so much urging to eat fiber-rich foods and how it is vitally important, but what about when we reach levels that are too high? Eating more than enough oatmeal and other whole grains, vegetables and high-fiber fruits was causing my stomach to be upset. So I cut back on how much oatmeal I was eating and shortly thereafter, because of that small change, the cramps subsided.
This problem of overdoing it has also occurred in the past when I start exercising too much- to the point when I'd just feel constantly tired. Exercise is supposed to be energizing, so I'd increase my exercise before understanding that overdoing it was the issue, and cutting back just a little bit was the cure.
I completely advocate high fiber foods. What I do suggest, however, is that you take into consideration how much fiber you currently eat, how much fiber you consume in one sitting (I strongly recommend spreading several high fiber foods over the course of the day to ward off the stomach problems!), and how much you ought to be getting. If you are far below the quota, then only increase your intake very gradually to work your way up. And be careful not to go too far above and beyond the recommended amount. Too much of something- in nutrition, exercise, and just about every other aspect of your life- is just as bad as too little of something (as my train of thought veers toward how much food we as North Americans eat and the corresponding health problems associated with it... but we'll save that discussion for another day!).
Evaluate the balance in your life. If something seems amiss, examine all the factors to see if overdoing it is the problem!
Have you fallen into an overdoing-it situation? Was it because of habit, preference, or something that was simply happenstance? And how did you remedy the issue? Leave me a comment!