At the basics for reasons that are best explained in books I'll list below, here is what I now follow in a nutshell:
- No sugars, not even artificial sweeteners (which are worse than real sugars)...my only exception is honey in my tea as a special treat once in a while.
- No processed foods - eliminates most inflammatory foods in one fell swoop, including dropping sodium and sugar intake!
- No grains (gluten and oats make me dizzy, tired, and a few hours later cause tummy discomfort; rice just immediately causes gas.)
- No dairy (I've learned it is a BIG and immediate source of inflammation for me all over and even out to my skin in the form of a lifetime of acne; my complexion is beautiful now!)
- No legumes (soy is a definite problem for me; peanuts, peas and cashews to lesser degrees where I can tolerate them on occasion and only in small amounts. I don't eat beans anyway, so no loss there.)
- No tomatoes/nightshades (the exception is potatoes on occasion, which I can tolerate quite well)
- Lots of water throughout the day
Every other whole food is actually pretty good to me now, although there are some that I must limit, like fermented foods (too high in histamines).
For my specific issues (Hashimoto's), I must also limit iodine. Too much makes my thyroid swell and feel like its crushing my throat.
And to balance blood sugar, I also limit fruits as much as I can to a max of 3/day.
You'll find MUCH greater detail in these two books (which I've read after figuring out my diet):
In addition, I've also discovered this gem of a little book, thanks to research on hypoglycemia (recommended on a forum that came up in my search), which has been an occasional problem for me:
Here is the basic eating plan I find works best for me, thanks to The Adrenal Reset Diet suggestions of carb-loading:
- Morning first thing: hot water with lemon (to cleanse the liver and aid digestion)
- Breakfast: 2-3 eggs/other meat (I love morning eggs!) + a serving of fruit/vegetable
- Morning snack: nuts/seeds and/or small serving of fruit
- Lunch: Meat (chicken/beef/other) usually more than the tiny 3 oz. recommended + green leafy vegetable + other veggie/fruit
- Afternoon snack: tea and/or other whole food like a raw veggie and/or nuts/seeds
- Supper: all veggies and/or one fruit (depending on fruit prior in the day) depending on how hungry I am by then
- Before bed: a small snack of veggie/fruit and/or nuts/seeds
As you can see, I don't eat heavy proteins with each meal, focusing them in the morning and early afternoon (the richness of B vitamins usually perks me up, which may be part of the reason I don't want to sleep when I have them later in the day). This is what has proven to lead me to better sleep at night, which the body needs to repair/regenerate itself. No more endless insomnia!
I am continually refining the things in my life that I can do to boost my immune system and decrease inflammation. Keeping a journal has helped a great deal, but these books would have helped me even more had I found them sooner.
I've cleaned up our household in other ways and switched to a wake-up light as recommended in The Adrenal Reset Diet and find them helpful, as well as refined my supplements (most nutrients come from my food now that my digestion is better), but this post is about the diet, so I won't get into the other details. I hope this helps others searching as I did for relief from their symptoms.
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