Book clubs, support groups, food blogs and more…For thousands and thousands of people across the globe, Dr. Gundry has spurred an entirely new way of life, free from physical discomfort and disease. Autumn Boyle, founder of the food blog called, Lectin Free Mama, is a great example this. For this athletic, classical singer Dr. G’s protocol morphed into something much greater than just another diet.
Here, she reveals how she tested out the lectin theory on herself and why this discovery spurred her to launch an entire blog dedicated to the lectin-free lifestyle.
Words by Autumn Boyle
In late summer 2015, I was working at a farm stand when I had the first episode. My heart rate increased, and I began to see spots. My head spun, and my breathing became shallow. My stomach rippled in spasms, and my muscles felt weak. Several weeks later, a positive test confirmed my suspicions: I was pregnant.
I began to have more episodes like the first.
I started having night sweats and painful abdominal bloating. Every doctor I saw attributed my symptoms to the fact that I was growing a tiny human being.
For a time, I believed that too. I hoped it. When I gave birth, it would all go away, and I could go back to my normal, energetic self—someone who ran marathons and hiked 2000-mile-long trails through the woods.
Except none of it went away after I gave birth. It got worse. It was so bad, I could no longer do my job as a classically trained singer. My body and my physical stamina were failing me, and I thought I was dying.
I went from doctor to doctor to doctor (to doctor) and was tested for every disease and disorder they could think of. Everything came back normal.
Turning to Dr. Internet for answers, I tried a dozen different diets and two dozen different supplements. All of them helped for a few weeks, and then symptoms would creep back in.
I found Dr. Gundry’s book by sheer luck of the draw. I had been researching Leaky Gut Syndrome, and I decided to go to Amazon and search the term “leaky gut,” and purchase the newest book I could find on the subject.
A newly published book with a beautiful-looking smashed red tomato on the cover caught my eye. Without even reading the reviews, I added it to my cart and purchased it.
Two days later, I turned over the first page.
At the time, I didn’t know that it would change my life. I thought it was “just another diet” that would make me feel temporarily better.
Except this book made so much sense—not only did it explain which foods were causing inflammation, but also it explained why they were causing it.
I tell my readers that the final thing to convince me was the chicken.
For almost a year, I couldn’t eat poultry without experiencing severe stomach pain and other unmentionable gastrointestinal distress. Even the expensive, organic, vegetarian-fed birds wreaked havoc on my bowels. But, according to Dr. Gundry, it wasn’t the chicken that was causing these ailments. It was the chicken’s diet.
Now, here was something I could test—a one-woman self-experiment that could prove to me whether this lectin theory was true.
On the deciding night, we cooked a 100% pastured chicken for dinner. I partook in the feast, certain I would be doubled over in pain in a few hours.
I waited. And nothing happened.
I felt fine. More than fine, I felt great! I believe I actually danced for joy.
From that moment, I dove into Dr. Gundry’s eating plan, determined to see it through the recommended 6 weeks of phase 2. I started blogging about my experience, hoping to help others who were experiencing similar dead-ends in their search for health.
In the 6 months since I started, my blog has grown from a personal memoir into a resource that helps thousands of readers attempt this same way of life.
- I send out 5 compliant dinner recipes a week through my Weeknight Meal Planner.
- I research and write informative articles on these ingredients. I’ve made so many new friends along the way—people who are on the same self-empowering journey to better health.
As for my personal health, most days, I feel like a normal human being again. I’ve since been diagnosed with POTS, which has required some additional lifestyle tweaks (mainly salt and exercise), but all of my gastrointestinal issues are gone.
Waking up drenched in sweat is a thing of the past. When I stray from the protocol, the familiar symptoms make a brief return, only to clear when I get back on track.
I can live with this. I can live well with this, and my hope for anyone reading this is that they can, too.
Stay tuned for more delicious recipes from Autumn Boyle aka Lectin-Free Mama (in photo above with her adorable baby girl).
