How Acai Bowls Ruined My Week and Why It’s Important to Know Whats In Your Food

Lately my life has been a little more hectic than usual. I’m taking a class two days a week, I see patients until 9pm some days, I just became lieutenant in my fire department and I still need to cook, clean the house and maybe see my friends. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! While I know things will settle down in a few months, Its been difficult to get everything done in a week! If I have to be honest, cooking has been the thing I’ve been slacking off with the most.

I always tell my patients that food is medicine and you should be nourishing your body with things that are going to heal you. But just like anyone else, when I get busy I cheat on the foods that make me feel good with the foods that really taste good. The worst part is that I try to convince myself they are healthy! My latest go-to has been Acai Bowls from a certain place near me. Acai bowls are actually not terrible for you. They contain fruit, which is good for digestion, I get mine with a little peanut butter for extra protein, and acai is an antioxidant.

The problem with most places that have acai bowls is that normally they add a ton of sugar causing them to be more of a dessert than a healthy meal. I figured if I ate healthy the rest of the week the mornings I had to get this breakfast would even out, just until I could figure out a better alternative for breakfast. I always made sure to pair it with hot tea before and after so my digestion wouldn’t get too cold.

I didn’t notice anything at first except maybe a few extra pimples from all the sugar I was eating, but nothing that I would write home about. I didn’t really think anything of eating these bowls, I wasn’t expecting any kind of a reaction, positive or negative, to come of it. I was just expecting to satisfy my hunger. After about a month of eating these I noticed I started developing mittleschmertz, a common disorder in women where they begin to experience PMS and cramping around the middle of their cycle.

This is something I had never experienced before and it took me a while to figure out what it was. As the week progressed I started experiencing more issues: breast swelling and tenderness, digestive issues, nausea, acne and bloating. None of these are normal things for me. Since my cancer in 2008 I have had no issues with my menses, especially because I go to acupuncture regularly to make sure of it.

I’m a big fan of knowing your body and figuring out why you’re experiencing something abnormal. I began writing down everything I was eating, everything I had introduced to my body in the last few weeks and everything I felt after I ate it. It was a puzzle I was determined to figure out. One morning I went to go order my morning acai bowl and I finally read what I should have read from the beginning: this product is made with soy milk.
     
Now to the average person, soy milk probably wont create these harmful side effects so quickly. For someone like me, who only has one ovary due to cancer this created a major hormonal imbalance in my body. Soy milk contains estrogen, which is why its never recommended for children, men or women who have suffered from female cancers. The side effects of excess estrogen include, but are not limited to: nausea, bloating stomach cramps, breast pain/tenderness/swelling, change in your menstrual periods and acne/darkening of facial skin. So, basically everything I was experiencing.

Now, I’m not saying estrogen is the devil and everyone should avoid it. Estrogen is actually a really good thing to have in your body and when not in excess or dominance can help to maintain healthy periods, weight as well as many other hormonal balances. What I am trying to say is that its important to look at the ingredients for everything you are eating and be really consciences about what you’re putting in your body. It’s also incredibly important to listen to your body. You are the person in charge of your body and you know better than anyone when it’s not acting as it should. Use this as a tool to guide you in the right direction when making any kind of a choice, especially when it comes to food.