Hi there
I'm looking for buddies to join me with increasing my healthy green veg intake, together with paleo, pre and probiotics, de-toxing and generally working at a nutrient dense and corrective, low sugar (big challenge) diet.
Would others like to join me?
Kind of a hand holding exercise with laughs and lots of fun and confessions! ie how appalling our diets have been and maybe still are!! Would love to hear from you with your best confessions of disgusting habits so we can all feel better and help each other. Who's really practical out there to nag/cheer and encourage those of us having a go?!
Love Marey xx
I have LS and my diet is terrible
hi mary.....how lovely to hear from you....was a bit scary putting myself forward with this challenge but hey you've come forward! thank you.
RIGHT well lets get down to it! shall i stand behind you and say NO SUGAR NO GRAINS ...and flourish a whip to deter you?! i feel thats what i need or more particularly someone to cook for me...wouldn't that be nice!!
ok do your worst tell us all just how appalling your diet is ...oh and how you hate green smoothies and would never touch them...that might be a good way in... to get started on trying them... am hoping women here will come up with some tempting recipes.
i'm thinking cucumber, celery and maybe some green apple (just a tiny bit...to make this thing accessible to start off). ok so now that i've suggested it to you - i'm going to dash off and try it myself!! thank you mary ...will you be there, and, will you also try it and say how you get on? have your got a juicer or a smoothie maker?
love marey x
brill....so are you up for trying this:
cucumber, celery, half green sharp apple eg granny smiths
lemon juice and ginger. whizz
drink
I haven't been to the shop yet but going now. hope to hear soon how you find this.
xx
Hi Marey
Well done for starting this. Blood sugar is difficult to manage but it helps to understand what causes the sugar cravings. When we eat sugar, the body produces insulin to counteract it and bring the blood sugar level back to normal. When we overload the body with sugar, the mechanism struggles to cope and what happens is that sometimes too much insulin is produced causing low blood sugar. The body then tells us we need sugar, hence the cravings. We then eat more sugar and the vicious cycle starts again. At times of low blood sugar, there is insufficient glucose for the brain and it causes headaches, depression, mood swings, etc.
The answer is to never let the blood sugar get too low and then you eventually stop craving sugar. Try to eat little and often but avoid foods where glucose is absorbed too quickly. Diets like the low GI diet have this principle.
When you change your diet and cut out foods, the danger is that you will be hungry because you need to find something to replace those foods with. If you don't then you are very unlikely to stick with it.
I think the best plan is to make one positive change each week making sure that you have something to eat instead of whatever you leave out and that it is something you can stick to.
I am a nutritionist (although I no longer practice) but I can tell you that most of my customers had problems with blood sugar!
Good luck with the changes - it will really be worth it.
Sue
Just recently I crave sugar. I will try and cut my sugar intake. I am a nurse so don't always manage a decent meal. I have been told to cut down on fruit is this right
hi mary...
I trained as a nurse too! Ok so you're not looking after yourself (me neither) but I've worked out that the sugar cravings might be candida and other bugs fighting back ....I have begun an assault on them...little buggers. trying to increase my probiotics and going paleo...so now i've got to get organised with shopping and having appropriate foods around.
sounds like you're in the same place so maybe we could help each other and dbagal (aka sue) has just come in....hello sue!.... with some brilliant comments too. SO how about we meal plan together?
ie decide on recipes for a few days... building up to a week...but starting with just one each....however long that may take us to dig out - but if we each come up with one thing we'll be taking care of ourselves and each other. what do you think? i'd like to be here for you if that's any consolation xxxxxxxx
yes we need to aim to cut out all sugar...including minimising fruit...but finding good things first instead....otherwise if you're like me you don't eat at all ....right?
hey sue / dbagal
how lovely to hear from you thanks so much for joining in...and for your invaluable advice!
Yes that is absolutely it!! As well as the neg bacteria the low blood sugar thing is paramount. I so easily used to be able to fast. Not any more. But I'm still not really eating. except handy stuff eg dark choc (paleo but ofcourse its only supposed to be a treat after a meal and instead of desert...so i am absolutely abusing the principles here and need a thorough beating!!...) so there not a regular diet to change...hence i'm casting around for people looking to join in with menu creations and healthy additions such as juicing veg (but tiny bit of fruit to get us going...tho lemon juice and ginger is v flavoursome i'm told if sweetness to be avoided. so that tiny bit of fruit can be ommitted by the strong willed!!
Anyway what are your issues...what are you working on...hoping to achieve... how can we support you?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Here are a few of my ideas of what to eat to start you off:
Juices and soups are a good way to stop hunger and get some good nutrition. I love making fresh soup - so easy to do. You can buy or make chicken stock (preferably without added salt), add some chopped veg, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour and then blend - delicious. If you make enough, it will freeze and is always handy to heat up when you need it. You can even pour it into ice cube trays and defrost a few when you are hungry. My favourite is carrot and coriander - coriander is a great anti inflammatory agent - perfect for LS.
Avocado is a great addition to the diet too - it helps slow down the release of sugar and is really good for you. Mash it with tuna and have with salad, dice with tomatoes and mozarella cheese - just a few of the many ways to use it.
Try to have protein and not just carbs in every meal - nuts are useful for that.
If you really want to take diet seriously, there is a book by Maria Cross called I wish I hadn't eaten that - it is really helpful for healthy eating advice and references common problems such as blood sugar and how to help them through diet.
Sue
sue ....thank you so much.....!
i really appreciate your miriade of ideas....thank you again! Ok i'm going to start with the chicken soup.
so first am going to have to locate an organic supplier. by the way have you discovered bone broth?
love marey xxxxxxx
Have not heard of bone broth but isn't that stock? I used to make my own stock from chicken bones - simmer for about 4 hours in water with some celery, bouquet garni and carrot and then strain. Now I am a bit lazy and tend to buy the stock - Waitrose do one without added salt.
If you really need something sweet, apricots are great for blood sugar BTW.
Sue
check out the paleo mom for her instructions on bone broth and review her entire strategy for auto immunity...i'd really like to know what you think.
also have you checked out coptidis rhizoma?
its more than stock....simmered minimal slowness....to extract everything from the bones cartridges and ligaments. its very healing for the gut along with juicing and fermented vegetables...which i'm trying to get around too...very challenging but if you like saukeraut you'll be good!
it sounds that like me slackness has entered in together with toxicity into our systems ...hence LS...AMONG THE OTHER CAUSES!!
how are you today? got any meals planned?
I looked at the website and it called it broth or stock so there probably isn't much difference. Stock can be simmered for 4 hours to 2 days too if you want to. The only difference I could see with the bone broth is that it is recommended to slice the bones which I have never done for stock. Nevertheless, whatever you call it, it is good for you and makes a great base for soups - the better the base, the better the soup. I don't think I could leave something on the stove for more than about 4 hours and certainly wouldn't risk leaving it overnight although perhaps it could be transferred to a slow cooker? My time is a bit limited at the moment so I think I will still be buying my stock I am afraid.
Today is my mum's 80th birthday so I do have a meal planned - chicken casserole in slow cooker ready for my lunch guests. May have to abandon the no sugar plan in favour of some birthday cake today!
Good luck with your menu planning
Sue
Thanks girls, this is a great help . I am trying to help myself with eating the correct foods. My "undercarriage" has been unbearable for the past 2 years, after a breakdown. Told it was LS but Biopsy was negative, still on Dermovate, Epaderm and Vagifem and haven't heard from consultant since Oct last, I also lost almost 4 stones...the worry of it all I recon.
My query, I was told Tomatoes were a No No, as we're Oranges, as they metabolized as Acidic , but you are using Toms in a salad, then I was told Oranges were OK, so I am confused.
Anyway girls keep up the good work, I shall follow your blogs with great interest, trying to find out what I should be eating to see if Diet helps with this awful condition
glad you checked out the site...what did you think?
Happy Birthday to your mum! Enjoy that cake!! I'm afraid I've fallen by the way side...having got hold of some ice-cream due to unstocked cupboard ...but I am going to address this and get in some different veggies . Hadn't appreciated that slicing the bone is recommended might try that as submerging the bones is prob beneficial to extracting all goodness. sorry you've gone the convenience route...me too and think thats part of the cause of this prob for me...but i'm trying to pull back to eat like grandmother did (tho I never had a grandmother that I knew actually).
anyway enjoy your day and i look forward to hearing how the event went when next you stop by the site... hope i can report on better eating!
yes you can use a slow cooker i gather. its been really good connecting with you and I will try the chicken...many thanks for that...is it your favourite per chance?
heres a recipe from me: warm beets and walnut salad
roast about 3 beetroots for 1 1/2 hours (max 2hrs if large) and peel off skin to discard. lightly bake some walnuts for no more than 10 mins. assemble with a salad or just spinach leaves or basil leaves unshredded...together with vinegrette or a dressing using fresh pressed orange and champagne vinegar!
enjoy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is so strang I have just sent for the Paleo book for beginners , and would like to join you x