Hey, Well everyone i have been in treatment for 5 monthes and my doc told me about the "low carb" diet. However, I keep reading about all you people and your diets-low carb, no sugar, no white flour etc. What do these things have to do with lyme and why do I need to be on this diet? I mean I have been on "low carb" for 5 monthes but I rice and pasta and hamburgers and sandwhiches and all the stuff that your not supposed to eat. What's the deal with this diet and why should I follow it? How is it going to help me? Where can I find info and books on this info as well?
Thanks, Lindsay [email protected] Posted by smiles132002 (Member # 7949) on :
I should also mention that I am on mino 50mg 4x day and flagyl 250 3x day and valtrex 1000mg 2 day. As well I also take garlic 1 pill per day and asodophlis 3 pills per day supplements.
thanks, Lindsay [email protected] Posted by DolphinLady (Member # 6275) on :
The lyme bacteria thrives on carbs as well.
Posted by smiles132002 (Member # 7949) on :
thanks for the info..As much as I try to stay low carb I do eat A LOT of sugar, coffee, pasta, rice, potatoes chips etc. So I guess I know that I am supposed to stay low carb for the yeast but do I really need to change my diet I guess is my question? Do I really need to practice a "low carb" "low sugar" diet? Will it really effect my "cure" for lyme?
Lindsay
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
Lindsay, Sounds like you really love the carbs ..... maybe even to the point of addiction. When I first began eating healthy in 1998 (before Lyme) "The Carbohydrate Addict's Life Span Program" by Rachael and Richard Heller helped me to lose 125 pounds. I would recommend it. It is a way to eat some carbs each day and not feel deprived.
Ultimately you really,really want to switch to only the healthy carbs that are in veggies .... maybe a very limitd amount of grains .... but never white rice, bread or pasta.
Basically, carbs turn to sugar. Sugar feeds the bad bugs in your body. This includes the lyme and the yeast. Sugar also depresses the immune system. You really need to be doing everything you can to help your immune system. So yes, you REALLY need to be on a low carb/low sugar diet if you want to get well and stay well.
I am not a doctor ........ this is my opinion.
robi
[ 24. October 2005, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: robi ]
Posted by mlkeen (Member # 1260) on :
Yes, reducing sugar including refined flour-wheat- will help your body rebuild your immune system so that you will get better faster. Sugar stresses your system, reducing stress promotes healing.
Garbage in- garbage out, sorry that's how it works.
I thought I felt good while eating sugar and wheat. Now I feel sick if I eat more than a few bites of wheat.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by robi: Basically, carbs turn to sugar. Sugar feeds the bad bugs in your body. This includes the lyme and the yeast. Sugar also depresses the immune system.
Absolutely! And you won't know when you're "well" if the yeast is present since the symptoms are much the same.
It's true I probably am addicted to "carbs"-I mean I was raised on the stuff. However, I love veggies, fruit and protien and I eat a healthy balenced meal of all of them. I'm not over weight and when i have gone on "low carb" diets I have not lost any weight. I do know that my immune system is stressed since i have mono and shingles and lyme and co-infections. However, wouldn't I have a yeast problem if I had too many carbs? I will look into that book but I am just not conviced that cutting out carbs and sugar is the "right" thing to do.
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
This is just my opinion. Anyone needing to improve there health needs to cut out sugar and white flour.
Asfor cutting out carbs......... you need carbs. You can get all the carbs you need from healthy green vegetables. You do not have to eat grains, starchy vegetables or bread for carbs.
You can skate buy and do the minimum or you can really try to heal your body ......... everyine makes the choice for themselves.
I don't think you will find any diet that says you need sugar or starchy carbs.
The choices are hard but it is your helath.
Good Luck in your recovery, robi
Posted by castrong (Member # 7396) on :
I too am "addicted" to carbs...always have been. I was diagnosed with Lyme from a bulls-eye rash and after testing, came up positve for babs and bart as well. I have been in treatment with Dr. S, an LLMD here in MD, since May. I had few other symptoms.
Although he too recommends that I try to "reduce" my carb intake, he has not been fanatical about complete elimination because I haven't had any yeast issues. Maybe it might just be too soon for me to have ill effects from my diet; and I am just figuring I will change my ways once there is an issue.
Has anyone else followed this course?...No problems with carbs & sugars and then all of a sudden - BAM!!?? I'm not trying to buck the accepted protocol, but I'm not yet seeing a need to alter my lifestyle so completely.
If someone tells me that I am a ticking timebomb waiting to go off.......I'd like to know it :-)
As always - thanks for all your inputs.
Posted by lymeout (Member # 8045) on :
Take a look at the Zone Diet. There is a book by that name by Barry Sears. There is also a website. This diet was recommended to us by a rheumatologist. We don't follow it strictly; but we try to stay near, if not in, the zone most of the time.
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
My belief .......... everyone who eats the Standard American Diet is "a ticking time bomb waiting to go off."
Processed food is simply not what our bodies were meant to run well on.
Again just my opinion ...... but you asked.
robi
Posted by lymeHerx001 (Member # 6215) on :
This is a bump to help all those who are struggling as I did with feeling like crap from eating corn, flour and sugar.
I just ate 2 tacos and 4 coockies (organic)
This doesnt matter. I couldnt hold my head up and fell asleep for 90 minutes!!!!
I just woke up now.
So this is an affirmation to me to stick to:
Veggies Eggs Chicken and Nuts
You heard it ,,, thats it this week!!!!!! I want to be awake in my life and no more neuropathy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
Even before I knew that sugar was a bad idea for Lyme, or knew that what I had was Lyme, I could tell that eating a lot of sugar made me feel sicker. I think the same is true of bread or other serious carbs for me.
Back when I didn't know my problem was Lyme I actually wondered if I were developing diabetes because it was obvious that something was drastically different if I had a lot of sugar or bread in one day.
I've been struggling to cut out sugar and a lot of bread and it's FINALLY gotten easier after many months. Putting stevia into drinks instead of sugar helped, and I've noticed that when I reduce sugar intake I eventually get fewer cravings for it and it eventually becomes a lot easier.
Posted by csperanza (Member # 9613) on :
The South Beach diet is also based on the idea that you eliminate "Bad" carbs -- white flour, overly processed foods, foods that are high on the glycemic index -- and eat good carbs -- whole grains, complex carbohydrates found in vegetables and so on. I think some of the big national weight-loss companies (Nutri System?) also look to the glycemic index. Why don't you check out 1 or 2 of these books in the library? Or "google" glycemic index and read about it? C