What Kind Of Diet Do You Eat?

[fitnesskelly]

Just wondering if there's a pattern in dietary habits that make dysautonomia better or worse.

I personally can NOT eat a low carb diet. I do much better on a good amount of carbs. I stick to gluten free, and avoid a few other things that upset my stomach, but everything else is fair game for me (I eat pretty high quality stuff - organic, grass-fed and/or pastured, local/regional as much as possible, not much sugar as I don't have a sweet tooth, nothing with additives like high fructose corn syrup, dyes, artificial sweeteners, etc.)

[DizzyGirls]

After dealing with all that Dysautonomia has to throw at us, we have learned to eat what digests well. What goes down well for one person often doesn't for another. I try to make sure everyone gets some protein, either from a meat source, finding it hidden in other things, or, say, boiled eggs. It has really been impressed on my mind how important protein and nutrients are (long story for another time). We try to make sure we have veggies, and, yes, we are pasta lovers too! Carbs do not seem to bother any of us in the family and don't really eat gluten free because we aren't affected by it. My husband has to eat a high protein, high fat diet. His blood sugar does not do well otherwise. My mom has a friend like that too. My husband can't think well if he doesn't stick to this. It's not for everyone. We eat in moderation and love sweets. But, everything in moderation often works for us.

[Guest ANCY]

I currently am on an elemental formula via j tube but prior to that my Dr had me on a low fodmap diet. It is used for IBS patients but my gastroenterologist wanted me to give it a try along with a typical gastroparesis diet. I also am dairy and soy free due to sensitivities.

For those interested in what a low fodmap diet is here's an article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3966170/

[Evergreen]

I have eliminated

- soy

- gluten

- dairy (except occasionally a little raw cheddar cheese)

- basically all grains

I eat organic, pastured meat and eggs, salads and nuts.

And tons of water and Himalayan salt.

I still have symptoms but have definitely improved since the onset of symptoms.

[ks42]

I don't do low carb either, but all the carbs I do eat are complex, not simple, carbs. My diet is basically clean eating / low glycemic.

Everything I eat is at least a 50 or lower on the Glycemic Index scale. Organic, fresh, all of that. I eat TONS of veggies, proteins like turkey, chicken, fish, and occasionally steak, complex carbs like brown rice and beans, steel cut oats, quinoa, etc, nuts, and plenty of low GI fruit. Some dairy (like kefir and unsweetened yogurt). I do make some Paleo type sugar free desserts and snacks, so I actually have a pretty wide range of foods I eat. I also include lots of healthy fats (fish oil, flax, avocados) - this makes a HUGE difference in brain fog and tremors. I have completely cut out all of the following:

- Simple carbs
- Sugars and sweeteners (including even "natural" sweeteners like honey, molasses, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc)
- All processed foods

I didn't realize how badly the above foods (especially simple carbs) were affecting me until I cut them out; I noticed a huge improvement within a month in brain fog, dizziness, fatigue, adrenaline surges, and even reduction in standing tachycardia. Obviously, I'm still sick, and it's not a cure, but it's a big help. If I go back to eating simple carbs, I start to see a return in some old symptoms that I haven't had for awhile. Even the tingling/burning in my feet stays away if my diet stays low GI.

Even though I'm not vegetarian (I feel awful without meat protein of some sort), I take a lot of inspiration from this blog (Deliciously Ella, who feels she healed her POTS through diet)