Long overdue, I should write about the end of the experiment… (Talking about 40 days of glutenfree yoga.)
During the 40 (or 39…) days, I felt quite "normal". I'm used to feeling well, but also used to have headaches and getting tired many evenings before bed time. And except that first weekend with dizziness and headaches, these 6 weeks were more constantly good, much fewer dips in energy.
I ended the gluten/wheat/sugar fast one day early, but continued with daily yoga/qi gong practice and did BPIF (Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting) more sporadically instead of 5 days a week.
For between one and two weeks after that, I had a headache of varying degrees, all day!
I think the intermittent fasting did a lot. I think the fact that I had to make almost all my lunches myself, rather than eating out, also meaning eating almost 100% organic, meant a lot.
I think gluten itself is a smaller part of this equation, but abstaining from gluten meant rethinking many eating habits. But when I at last broke my gluten fast, I really wanted to eat it and it was really much too easy to fall back into the old habits. I hadn't found enough new good habits around what to eat instead. It's so easy (and enjoyable) to just take some bread. Making a large pasta and divide into lunch boxes.
I did try some wheat and rye free bread baking, but it all tasted like a meaningless substitute. I do like rye bread though, but there's gluten in that too.
So what did I get our from this?
I have a more distinct recognition of the feeling of having had too much gluten. Interrestingly, I think I've only felt it with store bought bread, that often have extra gluten added or one of the really high-gluten wheats to make it extra fluffy.
I can easily switch into fat burning mode with some butter+coconut oil+coffee in the morning. (My bodily reaction developed when doing it more regularly, compared to the times I had tried it before this experiment.)
I learned more about the sun salutation yoga, and realized I could do both two sun salutations and the qi gong-part in 10-15 minutes without hurrying, and that small investment of time has a great reward.
Eating fully organic could perhaps make a bigger difference for my well being than I though…
So what's next, then? In the experiment of me, or the breaking and forming of habits… I don't know; leave a suggesten in the comments below :)