Sorry to bombard you all with so many questions tonight...
Is there a link to a suggested diet for Lyme? I know no sugar/no carb, but I'm looking for more suggestions/ideas of what you CAN actually eat. Does no sugar include naturally occuring sweets (like fruit/honey/etc.) too? Or is it just processed sugar?
We eat pretty close to a traditional foods diet, but definitely not as well as we could. I am more than willing to be super strict about what we eat if it means a better chance at feeling well.
Thanks again, for your help. Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
PS.. Stick with non-starchy vegetables and proteins.
Chicken breast and broccoli, for example.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- The "lyme diet" is not "no carbs" - without carbohydrates you will die. Your brain and all your cells needs carbs. However, COMPLEX carbs only with veggies being your main source. Protein and good fats are essential with each meal/snack.
Smaller, more frequent meals are better and many LLMDs avoid eliminated wheat, barley and rye as they contain gluten and gluten intolerance is frequent with lyme patients, adding to stomach problems, brain fog, depression and pain.
Ezekial Bread, a flourless, sprouted grain bread (by Food for Life) makes some products that are gluten free. Not all of them are gluten free, though. Be sure to read labels though and avoid those with barley malt as that contains gluten.
Non gluten whole grains include Quinoa ("keen-wa") which is excellent and has a high amino acid content. Small amounts of other whole grains to consider are buckwheat grouts (really a legume and, no, buckwheat pancakes do not count) . . . millet . . . brown rices and black or red rices . . . amaranth.
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Self-care and diet are discussed here, you can search for those terms:
- Dark berries and very tart apples are good. However, if you develop any trouble with candida (a yeast overgrowth from antibiotic use if probiotics are not employed) . . . you may have to leave out even those. Otherwise, the dark berries or tart apples are still best right after a meal, rather than alone.
It is important to have as much bright color in your diet as possible.
Avoid all artificial sweeteners but a plant based sweetener, Stevia, can be used. It just take a tiny amount. -
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Keebler there are no essential carbs. Please list where that info is from.
good luck! Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- massman,
I scanned my post and I don't see where I wrote the term "essential carbs" as in essential fatty acids. But my eyes may not be finding if if it is there.
I thought I said - and meant to say - that carbs are essential. We need protein, carbohydrates and fats - and water.
Yes, we would die without carbohydrates, of course that best coming (not at all from simple carbs and especially NEVER from high fructose corn syrup) but in the form of complex carbs - real food - not processed - right from the earth: veggies, low sugar fruits and small amounts of whole grains.
A no carb diet would be just protein and fats. The brain and the heart, and muscles, etc. - our whole body also needs carbohydrates (complex sugars in the most natural form) from vegetables for the largest portion of our meals. It all works together. -
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Keebler I was taught for years that we do not need carbs, that we can live well without them.
Eskimos - lots of fat, some protein >>> no heart disease.
And of course the devil himself, Dr. Atkins. Lots of fat and protein >>> weight loss, lowers cholesterol.
I myself eat lots of veggies, some protein and fats. It is mostly the government and BigPharma that has pushed a carb based diet. Why has the rate of diabetes skyrocketed after food reccs were officially changed ?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- A person cannot live without carbs. The brain needs carbs to function.
Not all carbs are created equal. Carbs as the 21st century American knows are not always the carbs of the cave man, as nature intended to fuel for our bodies. Think back to before grocery stores. Those kinds of carbs.
Carbs, to some degree, can be in some proteins and some fats. When they could, Eskimo tribes would also save roots, berries and seaweeds for the winter months. But, they may have adjusted to a sort of "ketogenic diet" during the months when they were less active and had to reserve their energy.
For someone to try to go totally without carbs, a dangerous condition called ketosis can be a problem. There are some very low-carb seizure diets such as the "ketogenic diet" but anyone doing that should be under medical supervision.
Monosaccharides are the major source of fuel for metabolism, being used both as an energy source (glucose being the most important in nature) and in biosynthesis.
When monosaccharides are not immediately needed by many cells they are often converted to more space efficient forms, often polysaccharides.
In many animals, including humans, this storage form is glycogen, especially in liver and muscle cells. In plants, starch is used for the same purpose.
. . .
- full article at link. -
[ 10-05-2009, 08:41 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Big difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis.
And Wikkie as a reliable source ?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Wiki is just a decent start for many basic explanations. They did fine with the carbohydrate page. If you want a full annotated bibliography, you can go from there.
Geez, what's so wrong with suggesting that people eat their broccoli? -
Posted by 22dreams (Member # 17846) on :
Low-glycemic diets are usu. recommended for lyme px -- so you can check your natural sugar sources against the glycemic index.
Berries are a good way to go as far as fruit, and granny smiths as someone else mentioned.
Protein and fat help to stabilize blood sugar so if you do eat foods a bit higher in carbs, it's best to combine.
Good fat is essential for the body as it makes hormones and cell membranes, distributes vitamins in the body, lubricates, and protects organs.
All important for lyme patients--we need good fat to protect the brain. A former LLMD of my sister's prescribed one Tablespoon of coconut oil per day.
anyway, some recipe websites w/good-tasting recipe ideas (some may need to be adjusted according to allergies, preferences).
Nuts are great for snacking as well as Protein shakes (made with whey protein).
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- 22dreams,
BINGO ! That's the term I just could not remember - Low-glycemic. Yippee. That should make everyone happy, now.
Anyway, Low-glycemic is the kindest way you can go. Be sure to add lots of great garden herbs and spices . . . A Mediterranean Diet may be something to consider, too. -
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Broccoli is good for many.
One thing it apparently can do is decrease thyroid function. So if one's thyroid is underactive broccoli may further decrease its function.
Almost all of my continuing education for 20 years to maintain my chiro license has been in nutrition. And many classes in chiro college included nutrition if applicable.
Like what keeps bones healthy in radiology, foods for bowel health in gastrology, foods to help ovary health in OB / Gyn etc.
Oh those MDs ? Very few know much about nutrition. Seems to me they know as much about nutrition as they do about lyme.
Posted by lymeHerx001 (Member # 6215) on :
yes low glycemic, still possible to live only on protein. I lived on 3 eggs a day for 6 months while losing weight.
Your body can convert fat to sugar. Want me to back that up?
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
OK Keebler let's talk about why many people run screaming from veggies.
Cause mom + dad forced them or they got no desserts if they didnt eat veggies ?
lymeHerx001 - perfect ! Eggs= perfect fat + perfect protein.
Posted by richedie (Member # 14689) on :
I am a vegetarian so this has been tough for me. Also, red skin potatoes are fine...they are very low in sugar. I eat tones of these! I also eat lots of fruit and have had no candida issues at all.
Eggs scare me because they have been shown to cause problems in people with autoimmune symptoms or autoimmune diseases. Something about our body confusing the egg protein for self. I'll have to dig up the study.
Also, keep in mind...just about everything has protein, even veggies.
Don't be so afraid of fruit. I eat lots. I try to eat a lot of pineapple due to the Bromelain!
I also eat tons and tons of veggies.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- While vegetables should make up the bulk of any diet, this article outlining higher protein requirement when ill is good information:
THE REQUIREMENTS OF PROTEIN & AMINO ACID DURING ACUTE & CHRONIC INFECTION . . .
Anura V. Kurpad - Institute of Population Health & Clinical Research, Bangalore, India
129. Indian J Med Res 124, August 2006, pp 129-148. Review Article. -
Posted by allwxrider (Member # 22512) on :
Let's not forget the spoiled food! What I mean is the probiotics. Sauerkraut, kefir, sour cream, low or no sugar yogurt et al. If "80% of the immune system is in the gut [colon]" then probiotics MUST be a part of the diet. I'm still laughing with the forum person who said "I eat germs for breakfast"....Amen!
Posted by allwxrider (Member # 22512) on :
My dietician daughter says you can live with out carbs. People go on fasts for 40 days, living off body fat and muscle. Carbs are easier on the body, but the liver can make glucose from fat AND fat into glucose.
The heart runs on fat, essential fatty acids...that is.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- The heart needs many nutrients from a variety of sources, just as all our cells require. There are many reasons why a balanced diet, rich in nutrients, is essential to health. Food is not the enemy. Food - real food from the earth - is life. -
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