posted
I am always hungry! I try not to overeat, but it is very hard to do. I blame a lot of it on the abx that irritates my stomache. I have gained about 15 lbs. sincs diagnosis.
My daughter, on the other hand, also has Lyme, often takes the same abx and is NEVER hungry. She is very thin.
-------------------- "Few of us can do great things, but all of us can do small things with great love". Mother Theresa
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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It depends what you are eating. Just shifting a few things can help.
Be sure your thyroid levels - and blood sugar levels (glucose) are okay.
Protein requirements are increased during chronic infections so you'll need protein with each meal - and maybe with a snack, too.
Lots of vegetables and the darker colored fruits are especially good for nutrition and certain grains give us nutrients as well.
Being sure to have good fats - in the right amount. Essential fatty acids, will help control appetite. A small handful of nuts with breakfast or for snacks can help control appetite.
With nuts, I have to take out a small amount and put the jar away. Eating with the jar in front of me draws me back to take too much.
I know one person with lyme who eats protein 5 times a day in order to have enough energy. Eating smaller meals, but more often may help.
When I get enough protein I do not crave food so much.
We should be getting at least 65 - 75 grams of protein a day - maybe more if ill and depending upon our size. Protein helps the liver make glutathione and the amino acids from it helps our heart, brain and muscles.
Lentils and other legumes can help the appetite become more stable, too, as the complex carbohydrates take longer to digest.
If you are eating some foods that may not be healthy, your body might be sending you a signal that it needs more nutrients.
Multi-vitamins and minerals might help. Magnesium also can cut craving for sugar. Really. Chromium supplements can, too, but too much can be over-stimulating, making a person shaky.
The herbal supplement, Gymnema Sylvestre, can decrease desire for sugar and lower blood sugar.
When I've had a candida infection (which happens with antibiotic use), my body craved simple sugars. So, if you have candida (systemic yeast) it's best to not have sugars and eat just whole foods. Nuts make a good snack.
Taking in probiotics can also help if you are craving sugar and it helps in other ways, too.
Food is good - if it's good food - and if your weight and glucose levels are okay.
[Edited to add: even if overweight and you eat properly, dieting can be detrimental if it means lost nutrients. Many lyme patients report overweight or underweight. Lyme can do some strange things to the body. So, if you know you are eating healthfully, the weight should normalize when the lyme is treated.]
Food is energy. You need food to get better. Finding that perfect balance is really the hard part but with a few tricks it can get better.
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.
Excerpt: " . . . In general, the amount of EXTRA protein that would appear to be needed is of the order of 20-25 per cent of the recommended intake, for most infections. . . ."
- Full article at link
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[ 30. May 2008, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
I can eat more than a grown man. Im starved all the time. I gain NO weight though, nada.
I look like a cancer patient right now. No dr has yet to figure it all out.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
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pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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