Would Anyone Like To Chat About Healthy Eating?

[Alison]

Six weeks ago I stopped eating gluten, dairy, eggs and glucose. I'm starting to feel a bit better. My head feels really different. It's hard to put it into words, it makes me realise how odd my head had been feeling. I couldn't say what I feel is normal now because I've no idea what normal ,is - ive long since forgotten. I feel sort of 'smooth' inside. I'm still burping, my muscles are still twitching, I'm still a bit lightheaded on some days. I'm sleeping really well, I'm now falling asleep easily and sleep about 7 1/2 hours without a bathroom trip. I really believe this healthy eating is helping, and I'm convinced I'm going to continue to feel better as more time passes.

I've no idea what aspect of the diet is responsible. I'm eating a huge amount as I'm tring not to lose weight. I must be getting a huge amount more nutrients than before. I'm trying to eat every vegetable i can find, particlularly leaves, lots of seeds, nuts, a lot of quinoa. I started off not eating meat, just fish, but after two weeks went back onto meat. After I read Wahl's protocol I started eating organ meats and bone broth, yesterday I bought seaweed. I started off making vegetable smoothes but now have a juicer as they made me more lightheaded. I'm thinking of trying some kind of anti inflammatory diet, I'd also like to try the Wahls' diet - but I'm worried about losing weight on it, also not sure if my stomach will tolerate all those veggies. I've been eating Wahl's fudge daily to prevent weight loss, but the last couple of days the thought of it makes me sick, I'm hoping to be able to eat it again as I felt it was helping my head to feel better.

I'd love to hear other people's stories, what wonderful things are you eating?

It's so wonderful to feel a bit better.

[trappedat20]

I'm starting the Paleo diet Monday so I love hearing this. I was inspired by Wahls Protocol by Terry Wahls after I saw her Minding My Mitochondria video. If you're worried about weightloss eat more almonds. 1/4 a cup contains 180 calories and they are Paleo/Wahls protocol approved. I was suppose to start this Monday but I realized I was going to have to ease into it because all of my favorite foods are foods that aren't allowed. So glad to hear you're getting results. I think it's a mixture of the fact that grains and dairy are inflammatory and that you're eating lots of wonderful fruits and veggies now that have helpful nutrients that feed your mitochondria. Good luck. Hopefully in several weeks I will have something nice to add about my diet (if I can stick to it long enough.)

[westernmass]

I've tried several diets (vegan, dairy/gluten free) and then back to no plan. I started Chinese medical school last fall, and have since adopted a diet that combines those guidelines with what my gastroparesis demands. I eat a bland, most cooked diet. Grains, lots of cooked veggies, meat. Everything organic because why add pesticides, etc to the mix LOL. I find that anything raw KILLS my stomach. My skin really likes a diet high in healthy fats- olive oil, peanut butter, and I'm obsessed with coconut oil (both in diet and as a moisturizer). I find red meat, especially near my period, boosts me up a bit (it's considered a "blood builder" in Traditional Chinese Medicine) but it's not the easiest thing to digest so I limit it.

I have found that both dairy and wheat (white) can bother me, so I minimize them as much as possible--but am not super strict about it.

[looneymom]

Hi Allison,

I'm also looking a a juicer to juice fruits. Many of the herbal supplements that I have been looking at are high in antixodents. I would like to see if I could bring down Tyler's inflamation and pain levels by juicing with fruits that are not high in sulfites. Some of the herbal supplements that I have tried with Tyler make his blood pressures too low.

Healthy oils will make you feel full and are good for you. If you eat plenty, you should not lose weight. Coco butter is high in antioxidents. Tyler likes white chocolate and for him it's a better option because is is not high in caffine but high in antioxidents because it's made with coco butter. When his energy level and moods are low it's a really good quick pick me up for him until the next meal. I have tried giving him orange juice, thinking this might be low blood sugar but it does not have the same effect. I'm thinking this may have something to do with the coco butter.

[Alison]

Thanks for the suggestion about eating almonds Makemeerised. I am eating quite a lot and don't want to eat too many, I'm also using almond milk. I also found Wahl's book to be inspirational. I'd like to try her full diet, but I'm going to hold off for now as I am getting so much improvement without it. Goodluck on the diet. What keeps me going on my diet plan is the thought that I should eat as much as I possibly can - and the thought that this is my only hope really of recovery.

Westernmess I'm loving coconut old too, and have also been putting it on dry hands, but it doesn;t seem to help them.

Looney mom is coco butter easy to get hold of? I've never bought it, but will try it.

HAs anyone tried the full Wahl's diet?

[looneymom]

My husband saw the coco butter online and it's $20 for a pound. I want to stick with the juicing for now. I have ordered a Breville Juicer. My husband and I have seen many good reviews. Juicing would be lower in calories and higher in antioxidents.

I have been buying the Lindt Classic Recipe White Chocolate and give Tyler 1/2 serving when he needs that boost. You can purchase this candy bar at Walgreens or usually any place that carries their products. This fat is high in calories but also high in antioxidents.

I suspect the antioxidents are what may be helping Tyler more. I am ready to test this theory as soon as the juicer arrives.

[Alison]

I'm not eating chocolate so I won't try the white chocolate. I haven't had any sweets, cakes or biscuits for 6 weeks, nothing with any glucose in it. I feel that this is one of the things that is helping me feel better.

Does anyone eat chia seeds? After reading in Wahl's book about how seeds start producing a good enzyme if you soak them for 24 hours at least before eating I've been soaking them. What I am wondering is if I still need to grind them after soaking them - I read we get more of the nutrients if they are ground.

[trappedat20]

I'm trying to ease into Wahls protocol this week on top of the paleo (minus eating organically because we really can't afford it atm) by eating 3 cups of colorful fruits, 3 cups of greens, and 3 cups of sulfur rich vegetables (I'm using cauliflower because you can mold it into what you like and mashed cauliflower tastes delicious.) I'm not going to start the organ meat 1x a week or seaweed 1x a week for a while. This diet is going to be hard enough for me without forcing myself to stomach things I don't like. This week I'm doing 3 cups for the fruits and 2 cups of the greens and sulfur rich vegetables because I tried 3 cups at the beginning of last week and I think that's part of why I failed last week. 3 cups of lettuce is hard to stomach if you're not normally a salad person. I'm going to work up to 3 cups. Like people said oils and butters are a good way to add calories too. I'm using coconut oil because I heard good things about the MCTS in them helping with problems with the mitochondria so I figured i'd give it a shot. It adds an interesting flavor to things too. You should try cauliflower recipes its a great way to get your sulfur rich vegetables in and there's a lot of alternatives to things you're not aloud to normally have on Paleo or Wahls protocol. Cauliflower takes the taste of whatever you put in it or cook with it. It's like the tofu of vegetables lol.

[lfreem02]

I started eating a plant based/whole food diet a year ago. I have had unexplained weight gain, so it doesn't seem to matter how little I eat, my weight won't go down. I stopped eating sugar other than honey, brown rice syrup, and small amounts of Stevia. I still have daily symptoms, but my stomach has been doing better, and acid reflux is rare. I eat as much orgranic as I can, and switched to Pink Himalayan Salt. I don't feel normal, but do seem to be doing better in some ways.

I agree that Cauliflower is a great vegetable. I have cooked it until it is soft, and then pureed it with garlic, salt, and coconut oil. It is so good. I was a vegetarian for 15 years prior to switching to a plant based diet, so the transition wasn't bad. I had already stopped eating chocolate and was cutting back on sugar. My stomach hasn't been able to handle meat for 20 years, so I don't see myself ever going back to eating it. Also, my family has a history of Cancer and I have had a few issue with it, so I decided to stay away from dairy. The China Study is interesting to read to understand the link between dairy and Cancer.

[Alison]

Let us know how you do on the Wahl's protocol, Makemeerised. I've never tried mashed cauliflower, but will give it a go.

Ifreem02 that's is so surprising that you are having weight gain on a plant based diet. Have you found any explaination? I'm also reading the China Study. It is a bit of a contrast to the Wahl's Protocol book. I'm undecided whether to eat meat or not having read both of them.

[Mike83IRL]

Went Paleo 6 months ago and switched to Wahls(more detailed) 3 months,definitly some improvements in my neurological symptoms,unfortunatly hypotension is still an issue but will def be sticking with Wahl's for the long,if only just to be able to think straight!!

[trappedat20]

I decided to quit Paleo. It is way too strict and is making me feel deprived and crazy. I have a history of eating disorders and don't like how deprived it's making me feel. There isn't even any evidence in it helping Mitochondrial Disease. It helps autoimmune disorders and diseases revolving around inflammation. Considering Mitochondrial Disease is genetic I feel like I'm making myself crazy for no reason. I would like to keep eating mass amounts of fruits and veggies to feed my cells though because I know antioxidants are beneficial to Mitochondrial Disease. I also want to keep milk, processed foods, and vegetable oils (don't use anyways) out of my diet with the exception of cheat meals every now and then (this is doable.) I'm still going to try to get all of the fruits and veggies Wahls protocol suggests and meat, but eliminating dairy, grains, legumes, and potatoes was making me crazy. As far as everything else goes it's going to be trial and error. Everyone with Mito is different and functions better on different diets. I will have to figure out what works for me.

[Alison]

I agree with you it is so restrictive and so hard. I haven't stopped eating potatoes which is maybe helping me to stick with it, i had been feeling that eating the potatoes - roasted or baked - felt too good to be allowed. I haven't figured out what is bad about raw olive oil so have still been adding that to salads - I thought it was a good oil?

I saw a specialist pelvic floor physio yesterday, I have EDS type 3, she was telling me how the EDS means I have poor quality collagen. Got me thinking about bone broth, which I have started making, and whether eating this could improve my collagen. Has anyone considered this? I generally boil the bones up for about 2 hours, I read on the net that you should boil I.t for 12-24 hours - does this really get more stuff out of the bones? I was glad I looked it up as I hadn't known to add vinegar which the net also says removes more goodness from the bones.

I'm glad the diet is helping Mike.

[trappedat20]

Olive oil is good for you. It's the oils listed here that are bad for you http://authoritynutrition.com/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad/ because of the high levels of omega 6's and how it keeps the body in a state of inflammation. Only the strictest Paleo follow the no white potato thing. The rest of them allow potatoes. I love potatoes lol. I guess I'm mainly going to do trial and error and see how I feel. If eating healthy foods and avoiding processed foods doesn't help I'll try cutting something out and see if it helps me feel better.

[Alison]

Thanks for that link. All this healthy eating is so time consuming - in the preparation. It's taking over my life a bit. And I'm so bored of food. I wish I had a chef.

[trappedat20]

That's another reason I couldn't stick to it. I'm too sick to cook my own food and my husband is gone most of the time. That meant that pretty much my only option when he wasn't home was salad. After doing a little experiment I found out it was the CoQ10 that was making me feel a little better last week anyways though so I don't feel bad since the diet didn't even make me feel better. I do think I will benefit from eating lots of fruits and veggies though. Thinking about making smoothies so I can get even more in (and because the vegetables are a chore for me lol.)

[castronovo112587]

I changed my diet drastically 8 months ago. I no longer eat any processed, GMO or food with msg and cut out wheat, eggs, dairy, soy and peanut. Some due to allergy and some because I know my body cannot tolerate it. This is what has helped me most of all. I'm not back to my old self but I would say I feel 75% better than he before this diet. I also drink apple cider vinegar each day and eat a raw clove of garlic which has helped my fibro symptoms a lot.

[lfreem02]

Alison - I am still working with different doctors to determine why I gained the weight and why it won't come off. I was always thin prior to the weight gain, so I am baffled. I started on Lexapro when the weight gain started, but switching to Zoloft hasn't helped. The weight is mainly in my midsection and chest, which makes me think it is a hormonal issue, but my GP and Endocrinologist haven't been able to find anything. My cortisol levels have been up and down, so I am seeing the Endocrinologist later this month.

[Alison]

Rosey, so great to hear how well you are doing with your dietary changes.

I've been trying to decide whether to try the paleo diet, but have decided not to for now, I don't see how I can manage without grains - rice, oats and quinoa are the one's I'm mainly eating. I also feel that I'd like to try a diet with not much animal meat, as advised in the China Study, though I want to carry on eating a bit of organ meat and bone broth.

Hope you get to the bottom of your weight gain Ifreem02. If I put weight on it also goes only on my mid section. I have skinny legs.

[TCP]

It sounds like you have it sussed. You are doing everything I am doing. Keep going and keep the variety there.

[Alison]

I've bought a yoghurt maker, I'm planning to try coconut milk yoghurt. Has anyone got any tips?

[misstraci]

Alison...... are you still on your healthy eating plan? still feeling good and all going well?

Any suggestions from you or anyone else, for me, someone who wants and knows that a different diet could potentially help but just can't seem to get on it???

I am and have been a vegetarian for about 10+ years. I know that excluding dairy and gluten could potentially help me a lot and I have a major problem with chocolate. If addiction is such a thing, I have it times ten I'm sure teh sugar load and caffeine are also not helping feel any better. In my mind I want to do better but when it comes down to it, I'll do it for a day or two and be so depressed that i go back to eating whatever I want again. It's a cycle.

Any advice???