LCHF Helped Our Whole Family Attain Better Health!

Cornia and Mathys Vosloo flirted with paleo but didn’t commit to low carb until their daughter Miela was born with severe allergies. Now they’re enjoying all the health – and other – benefits.

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‘We heard about paleo and the low-carb way from a colleague in 2011. We did some research and it seemed to be the best “diet” for us as it excluded gluten, which causes problems for me. Mark’s Daily Apple was the first blog I read. I thought it was a little extreme but I now realise it was because I didn’t understand the science.

After that, we tried to follow a more gluten-free diet, although we didn’t actually commit to paleo.

In 2014, everything changed. Our daughter Miela was born prematurely with a high infection count. But we were optimistic, and set out to enjoy our bundle of joy. When we introduced solids, however, she seemed to be constantly sick. She had ongoing fever, with diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation and skin rashes. The paediatricians were as in the dark as we were.

After several hospital stays and biopsies, Miela was diagnosed with EO (eosinophilic oesophagitis), a syndrome characterised by severe food and environmental allergies and autoimmune problems. We had to make a real change in our lifestyle to give Miela the best chance of being healthy and growing up strong.

Around the same time, I was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease. In simple terms, the disease occurs when the nerve cells in the colon don’t form completely, resulting in limited peristalsis. I suffered from chronic constipation, bloating, fatigue, weight gain and severe acid reflux. I was taking laxatives and antacid medication daily. My weight was climbing, and I seemed destined to struggle with weight and associated problems for life.