The new year seems like a good time to examine my diet more carefully. I want to make changes gradually and not shock my body. My plan for this week is to start with the serious offenders (also known as my favorite foods). I have eliminated sugar, grains, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol (I haven't had a drink in over a year, but I thought I'd throw that in the list since I'm continuing to give it up!) I really don't want to give up grains because I can get bored of eating eggs for breakfast every morning, but nevertheless... In a week or two, I'm also going to give up fruits, nuts, and starchy vegetables. At that point my plan will be to go pretty restrictive for a few weeks and see if I feel any better. I know I can live on a super restrictive diet because I've done it for a year. If I do feel better, I'm going to challenge foods one at a time and see what I can handle. I was looking back at my planner in August 2010 and noticed I was taking an hour long regular yoga class once or twice a week and walking 20 minutes a few days a week.... I want to get back there!!
The doctor I've been working with did a bunch of tests and discovered that my digestive system is very weak. I have low, low amounts of beneficial bacteria. He put me on some digestive aids and probiotics. I hope that by adding these supplements and changing my diet, I'll feel better. He is actually a doctor/nutritionist and one of the things he told me was to eat large amounts of leafy greens. I have found sauteed kale/chard/beet greens is a good alternative to break up the monotony of salads. It's the perfect side along with any protein. Tonight for dinner I had sauteed kale and wild salmon. It was a healthy, tasty, and colorful dinner. Here is the recipe so you can give a try!
Sauteed Greens with Garlic (2 servings)
Ingredients:
Medium bunch of kale, green or red chard, beet greens
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Celtic sea salt
Juice of half a lemon
1. Remove the stems and midribs from one medium bunch of kale , red or green chard, or beet greens. Cut any stems or midribs into half inch pieces. Coarsely chop the leaves. Rinse well, but do not dry!
2. Put a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and heat until the oil is fragrant and the garlic is just beginning to color.
3. Add the stems and ribs and season with salt. Cook stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the leaves and cook, partially covered, until both the leaves and stems are tender, 3-5 minutes more.
5. Season with huice of half a lemon. Taste again for salt.
You are so wise, Amanda! And you will be inspiration for me. I have increasingly been eliminating refined sugar over the past year, and I do eat healthy otherwise... but always trying to improve. And yeah, down with booze!
ReplyDeleteThat is, I have been trying to keep my refined sugar intake to 17 grams per day. Gotta have chocolate, darn it! Won't give it up!
Judy
Sorry to hear you've been struggling with stomach issues - it's pretty much standard-issue for all of us with CFS. I developed a dairy intolerance when I got CFS (used to drink milk every day with no problems!), so eliminating dairy helped my stomach issues. And, alcohol is a real no-no for all of us - it causes the blood vessels to dilate, making our OI much worse (my face turns beet red after just a few sips of beer or wine!)
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to hear if your changes have any effect. Do you have to give up ALL grains? Even those with celiac can tolerate certain ones. That would be tough.
We eat a mostly healthy diet - low-fat, lots of fruits & veggies, mostly whole grains, little white flour...but we do enjoy sweets!
I've been taking a strong probiotic for years, and that definitely helps.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Sue
Judy- It's hard to give up sugar. My weakness was always a piece of dark chocolate too! But I think the chocolate was giving me headaches. I don't do well with caffiene.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered other alternatives to refined sugar? One of the nutritionists I saw told me to use stevia, xylitol, raw honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup. I personally like agave nectar!
Sue-I was lactose intolerant years before I got CFS. I'd just take a lactaid my meals and I'd be fine. Yogurt doesn't usually bother me or any goat dairy.
Alcohol makes my "normal" headaches even worse. I remember when I first started getting sick, my husband and I went out to dinner. I had two glasses of red wine which wouldn't usually give me a hangover. I felt so sick afterwards. It's hard though at parties and social gatherings. I really miss my red wine, pomagranate martinis or vodka tonic!
The past few months I was just eating gluten free grains, such as quinoa, gluten free oats, brown rice and buckwheat. I noticed my body has been having trouble digesting them though. So I'm going off of all grains. I actually went almost 2 years without eating grains and sugar. (Mainly because I thought my problems were linked to a yeast overgrowth.)
I just started my probiotic. I also want to make some fermented vegetables. Betaine HCL helps with digestion too.
I will keep you posted on my progress!