Today I ate eggs. Not any 'ole eggs, but local, pastured duck eggs. It was an experience! I've never had eggs from an animal other than a chicken and, if they weren't more expensive, I might only eat duck eggs from here on out. They were super delicious and, supposedly, better for you as they have more yoke than white.
How did I end up with duck eggs? I was going about our "normal" Friday routine (at least the new normal now that James is finally back in school). Rita and I drove to the farm, said "hi" to some cows (she would only say "hi", she wouldn't "moo"), grabbed our meat and eggs, and found out that there were duck eggs along with the chicken eggs. I've heard that people with an allergy to chicken eggs can often tolerate duck eggs so I grabbed a dozen. I was hopeful and excited. I haven't had eggs in over a year. However, a little voice inside my head kept telling me it probably wouldn't work. I don't have an actual egg allergy, my body just reacts to eggs protein due to autoimmune disease. I decided to just test the egg yoke - that is the first recommended re-introduction of the AIP protocol. I boiled the eggs for five minutes, scooped out the runny yoke and served it over fried collard greens. My goodness, it was amazing!!! I can see why people love duck eggs! While I ate, I relaxed as much as possible to decrease any possible negative reactions. I did pretty well, but toward the end of the lunch I started to have some mild reactive symptoms: tightness in my stomach and chest and a little dizziness. I hoped it was just a mistake, but the symptoms increased throughout the afternoon. Luckily, they were no where near as bad as they've been in the past, but I could tell my body still wasn't ready for this food. My leaky gut is healing, but still has a ways to go.
It was disappointing. But, it didn't change my status quo. It just let me know that my body still needs time to recover. I'm getting there. I'm definitely feeling the improvements of cutting out "danger" food and nourishing my body with nutrient dense meals. But, I hoped I was farther along. I have to keep reminding myself that recovery takes a long time. Sure, I'm seeing results, but my body needs to feel even better.
I will eat eggs some day...just not today. Now there are 10 beautiful duck eggs ready to be devoured by the three non-gut-compromised members of the family. I am happy they get to enjoy them!
