man. you know things have changed when your treat of the week turns out to be:
Erewhon crispy rice cereal!
(pronounced AIR WOHN, like a Lord of the Rings character)
less than 1 g of sugar, 3 ingredients, a tried and true company...I had to try it! and it was good; satisfied my need for a treat.
for 13 weeks now, I have been on a special diet to starve the little bacteria friends in my stomach and intestines, and taking oregano oil and berberine for the past month to help my kill along its way. we all have bacteria, good and bad, but when the bad take over, you start to have symptoms of extreme fatigue, depression, carb cravings, skin rash, headaches, brain fog...all of which I thought was candida and hormones. turns out, it was H pylori and another bacteria buddy = intestinal dysbiosis. boo.
also, it turns out that there is a connection between celiac disease and H pylori overgrowth -- read all about it here.
low stomach acid can be a factor in developing both overgrowth of H pylori and food allergies and intolerances, and vice versa. a little like the chicken and the egg.
if you have been diagnosed with these lovely health issues, you too can really make profound changes in how you feel through diet and supplements. for my regime, I started with 8 weeks of candistatin, then switched to 4 weeks of gastro mycin and berberine, and now I am on a month of berberine plus oregano oil. and of course a good probiotic.
here are the diet dos and don'ts.
do eat:
as many servings of lightly steamed veg as you wish, but stay away from high starch ones, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and winter squashes, at least for one month. some raw, especially juiced veg.
fruits can be added in after one month, but not every day. berries are best. no dried fruits.
coconut oil and meat -- contains large amounts of lauric acid, which is antifungal and antibacterial, and in general it is a good saturated fat.
other good oils, like walnut, flax, avocado, olive oil.
some soaked nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters (no peanut).
some sprouted legumes.
some whole grains, but stay away from pastas, and try to avoid them for the first month.
eggs, eggs and more eggs, if you're not allergic.
yoghurt and kefir, if you can tolerate dairy, in small amounts.
sea vegetables, cinnamon, ginger root, garlic, fresh herbs.
fennel or other herbal tea, and green tea is really good too.
lots and lots of filtered or bottled water (1/2 your weight in ounces every day).
don'ts:
no sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, date sugar, etc.
try not to lean on carbs. do small amounts of whole grains (drizzle grains with a good oil, slows down its conversion to sugar as you digest it) and larger/more veg.
no corn (is a moldy food), peanuts (another moldy food), alcohol, coffee, black tea, dried fruits.
avoid leftovers for the first month. (mold factor)
here is an example of a daily menu plan. it might sound boring, but you'll find ways to spruce it up. as your palate changes, it gets easier...:) ease your way in, take your time. treat yourself once a week to something off-diet. if this way of eating is a drastic change, try just cutting down on refined sugars and carbs before going full hog.
if it is any consolation, I did this in '07, but I think I stopped short of killing it all (at the end, only the hardiest strains remain, so just when you think you're ok, think again, and send off another stool sample til you're all clear) and it's been lurking. it just took two major surgeries and some hormonal changes to give it an in. so, in other words, it's a long road...start with small steps.
breakfast:
(I try to have my grains in the morning when my digestion is at its best and fastest)
cream of buckwheat cereal, or amaranth, or brown rice, or g-f oats if you can tolerate them, with 1 T of coconut oil swirled in, plus flax seeds and a little homemade almond milk (more on that later) and some soaked nuts like pecans. sprinkle on some cinnamon, and you'll be surprised that you don't miss any sweetener. if you do, try a pinch of stevia.
--or--
2 eggs and an avocado
--or--
salmon and an avocado
green or herbal tea
snack: handful of berries
water, water, water (stop 1/2 hour before meals, dilutes your stomach acid)
lunch:
pick 3 veg and lightly steam. for example, 1 cup each of broccoli, beets and beet greens. drizzle with flax oil, add some chopped herbs and some celtic sea salt.
if you're having adrenal fatigue, add 3 oz of poultry or fish, or 1/4 cup sprouted legumes.
water and herbal tea
dinner:
(I try to eat before 8 pm, some nights this is a tall order, tho. digestion slows way down and I get itchy, so I try to eat dinner by 6 if possible!)
3 oz poultry or fish or sprouted legumes (I avoid grains and legumes at the dinner meal b/c of slower digestion).
3 different vegetables. try grilled, roasted, lightly steamed. add some sea veg.
make a sauce from Bragg's and tahini and/or almond butter, garlic and ginger. add scallions and fresh herbs. go crazy!
water/herbal tea
I hope you find this helpful on your path to good health. if you're super cranky, irritable and headachey at first, this is normal. ease your way in, don't do anything too drastic.
be well~
p.s. a little side benefit to eating this way is that I have had no seasonal allergies!! woot.
No comments:
Post a Comment