Food!

I feel your pain. I am not strict but if you are there is not much to eat. If you are creative you can come up with some interesting recipes. I personally don't feel the diet is the answer. Some people say it helps them and some people don't.

I know this didn't help you much but it's just my 2 cents. I'm sure other people will chime in with maybe some ideas.

Im not strict - I do eat healthier than I did prelyme...but not cutting out dairy, gluten or sugar.


A lot of dinners in my home are - a large salad with meat - often chicken cooked in the oven. (boneless, skinless).
Salad is mostly organic veggies: lettuce, carrots, avocados, fresh basil, broccoli..with oil and vinegar drizzled on top. Also drizzle a bit of honey as well.

I am over the top strict and have been following Dr. B guidelines since becoming ill. It really sucked in the beginning but believe me when I say that it does become easier with time. The hard part for me was deciding which diet recommendation to follow as it varies from Doctor to Doctor. I remember when I first became sick and did not know about diet restrictions. I used to love eating beets but they made me so out of it I stopped. This is when I started researching Lyme diets.

I imagine that if you are doing herbals only you could probably get away with eating them as you should not be at risk of candida. I am certainly envious of those that can eat fruit...sure would make my green smoothie better.

All this to say that I eat organic whole foods. I will have a large salad for lunch 6 days a week and make my dressing with garlic and curry. I never thought I could ever leave the table satisfied with eating just a salad but i have found if you throw in some chicken it really does satisfy the hunger pangs.

Dinners usually consist of random vegetables and organic meat. No desserts unfortunately for me but as I said if your not using antibiotics I am sure you could get away with eating some fruit.

I guess the silver lining to being sick with Lyme and friends is that it forces us to eat healthier and believe it or not I am actually thankful for this.

I was super strict with my diet for years bc I had bad candida before even getting properly diagnosed with Lyme. Literally every time I had any type of sugar I felt like I was drunk and then had bad migraines like a hangover the next day. I remember having to pull over on the side of the road coming home from school to sleep bc I was so fatigued and at that time is was usually after eating a meal with sugar that triggered it. My regular doctor never even addressed those complaints I’m pretty sure she thought I was crazy. But anyway my doctor put me on a strict diet of no gluten, sugar or dairy and honestly I still felt very sick but had some improvements in the severity of my symptoms. I could tell every time I strayed from the diet I had a bad flare usually within a hour. So I had a lot of incentive to stay away from a lot of foods I loved bc it just wasn’t worth it to cheat. I would instantly regret it. I kept trying so many different brand of chocolate or cocoa to find a way to have chocolate but nothing worked. My body always flared bad with it so I had to make the decision for me to completely give it up knowing that although it’s not what I wanted it was the best way I could help myself at the time to decrease inflammation

I did that for several years and the past couple years I have been using some dairy and using honey. I use manchengo cheese which is made from sheeps milk and is less processed-and tastes like Parmesan. It’s amazing! And I seem not not flare with it. Also use goat milk at times now but coconut milk is good option too. I still only do green apples and occasionally other berries or fruits but just don’t tolerate sugar general well at all.

I eat mostly chicken but occasionally beef and fish. I also do brown rice pasta or brown rice. Quinoa and buckwheat are good substitutes as well for grains. I will make and freeze pasta sauce and soups at times to pull out when I’m feeling really bad. I always do salads for lunch. I love to make chicken fajitas if I’m feeling up to it and it’s super easy and you can make enough for several meals through the week. I found the recipe on Pinterest and it’s just chicken peppers and onions cut up with garlic and spices and olive oil and you bake it. Super simple and can last for many meals.

A friend of mine with Lyme told me about this pancake mix called birtch benders micro pancakery and it’s the paleo version of it. It’s one of the best pancakes I’ve had in 5 years and you literally just add water and let it sit but no added sugar. It’s at target near me but I think amazon sells it.

Also Amy’s organics has some canned soups with no sugar and organic ingredients just check labels depending on what your trying to avoid.

A lot of times I look up Candida free recipes (or easy candida free recipes lol) on Pinterest and have found tons of good ideas for a “lyme diet”

Sometimes I get so frustrated with this diet and just want to eat whatever I want but I agree with aurora2013 that it forces me to be healthier and to be able to appreciate healthier foods bc right now that’s what my body needs.

I found this forum with a google search because my throat was closing up and I couldn't hardly swallow. I was eating spicy food, lots of chicken, lots of tortilla chips, and vegetables with it. What I ate was causing a problem with my throat, and it was quite scary. I was in the "Gerd" section at that time in February. I had to cut meat. I honestly didn't know that I could live without any meat but I can. And evidently, I can thrive with a little protein foods that aren't meat. I can add some meat back in pretty soon on my current diet.

Anyway, I ended up here because I want to clear up the Lyme and other stuff that goes with it.

I love my diet now. I started the Rau diet, from his book, "The Swiss Secret", 3 weeks ago. The first week was difficult and I was having trouble following it. I was used to eating the same foods over and over again, and this diet has a lot of variety. So I wasn't used to that and repeated the 1st week.

I drink purified or spring water or herbal tea (naturally decaffeinated) before or after the meal and not during the meal.

It starts out strict to clean your body out with lots of alkalizing liquid and vegetables. He gives amounts to be eaten which is very beneficial to me since I tend to binge eat. I stay more in line with his recipes and weekly meal plans. I'm eating foods now that I didn't do well with at earlier times.

I don't eat soy or gluten and haven't tolerated dairy very well so I stay away from cow's milk and cow's cheese. I eat mostly vegetables, raw and cooked, with a little pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or flax seeds (ground for me) and good fats like, avocadoes, and organic, unrefined oils: olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and flax oil. I didn't eat all of those until this diet.

Eventually, I'll be allowed to add some chicken and fish. I can already have a few chips with guacamole. Just not binge on them. And surprisingly, goat cheese is ok for me now in my 3rd week. Proportion is important.

Part of breakfast on the diet is 1/2 a grapefruit followed by 1 Tbsp of flax oil. I do this because it's on the diet. love the grapefruit....the flax oil repairs inflammation, heart health and brain function. Also, some oats (gf) which I like, and now in week 3, I can also have toast and fruit or goat cheese and a soft boiled egg.

If I had a candida yeast problem, I wouldn't be eating fruit right now; but I'm ok, so I eat fruit like lemons, grapefruits, apples, pears.

Here's what the diet is designed to do, a quote from the book:
"Detoxify the body; de-acidify the internal environment; develop proper intestinal flora; and in turn it regulates the metabolism, encourages healing, rebuilds the immune system, and restores the health of major organs."

A few things not part of the Rau diet that I also like, the pancake mix, Birch Benders, Paleo, Gluten Free. It's got a pretty good profile for protein and fiber. I eat this about 1 or 2 times a week, a little honey or maple syrup (only if no candida yeast problem). Also, the 1 candy bar that I do ok with as long as I only eat about 2 squares at a time is an orange dark chocolate (70%) bar from Theo (not if a yeast problem). I also like GT's Kombucha, Synergy, especially Gingerberry when they are on sale.

My energy level is good now. Also, I'll be able to add more fruit and desserts soon.

*The Rau diet does have small amounts of gluten, like a rye cracker or barley, but that is easily exchanged for a non-gluten product. I have celiac and cannot have any gluten at all.

Post Edited (gerdy) : 5/23/2018 5:12:54 PM (GMT-6)

I am mostly gluten and sugar free but not dairy free currently. I have been on much more limited diets in the past, though, due to kids' food allergies. It was very hard, but if you try different cuisines, there's actually a lot in the Mediterranean diet that is free of gluten, dairy and sugar -- lots of veggies, beans and meats, often served with rice but you can use brown rice or quinoa. It's very healthy and tasty if you're up for cooking. And this is not Mediterranean, but at the time, I found that I could even make "cream sauce" with alternative milks and flours when I really wanted to.

Is there a way to tell if someone has candida symptoms? My fiance is on antibiotics and he does not have any problems with fruit or any food for that matter.

Thanks G-Ju!

I was wondering if someone could tell me how strict the "lyme diet" needs to be followed after recovery. If you don't notice any flare-ups or adverse reactions to any of the gluten, dairy, sweets that you eat, is it alright to enjoy them again? Is it alright to have a glass of wine with dinner again or a few drinks on the weekends? Coffee in the morning, carbs like pasta and bread, or ice cream once in a while?

CatEye said...
Is there a way to tell if someone has candida symptoms? My fiance is on antibiotics and he does not have any problems with fruit or any food for that matter.

Gas and bloating after eating "candida carbs, sugars ect", but not other food

Realbad- then visual, oral thrush

itching all over body. there are many great posts on candida here, I encourage you to use our goggle for this forum .

This is a board of some of the recipes I've tried and loved. SOme of the older ones have grains in them and there's some sweets on the board but there's a several good, clean recipes that are my go tos, including a dairy free potato gratin, grain free "breaded" chicken cutlets, dairy free cauliflower mac and cheese, a grain free zucchini bread sweetened with dates (if you can have fruit), sweet potato nacho chips, zucchini chips, etc. Hopefully it will give you some ideas and help you get out of your food rut! It sucks when you get stuck with food. We've got enough going on... We need something good to eat!!!

https://www.pinterest.com/ever_seeking/tried-and-true-recipes/

Notime4lyme said...
Whatever you do, don't take anything with nutritional yeast in it (I forget the scientific name). I think that was the reason I got a yeast infection on antibiotics.

From what I understand, it's actually not supposed to cause yeast infections. Growing up vegetarian it's been a staple all of my life and I still use it in several dairy free recipes now that I'm paleoish. If you have an allergy to yeast itself it could be a problem but it's deactivated and can't reproduce, again from what I understand.
/www.livestrong.com/article/537679-nutritional-yeast-vs-active-dry/

/draxe.com/nutritional-yeast/

Food affects me greatly. I react to a lot of things, so basically, yes, I eat the same thing every day. I have to focus on being thankful that I still have something to eat (so much easier said than done.)

I eat a ton of asparagus.

I usually saute a bunch of veggies and chicken breast for lunch:
onions, carrot, celery, green beans, zucchini, radish, shredded cabbage, snow peas (not all at once, depends what I have)

rice or quinoa

frozen fish (no preservatives)

capers, garlic, black cumin seeds (nigella sativa) turmeric, ginger

I eat a ton of salad - green leaf lettuce, watercress, arugula

and eggs - scrambled, overeasy, hard boiled, any way - so thankful I can still have eggs!

I'll shred root vegetables like turnip, kohlrabi, rutabaga, and make "hash browns".

acorn squash and sweet potatoes on occasion.

My weak spot is those pea crisps (harvest snaps, but Aldi's brand), bean and rice chips, and 90% dark chocolate (99% actually but its harder to find)

Occasionally beef and pork from a local farm.

I have to cook everything for myself. I never get out of the kitchen. I hate doing dishes. I can't work or go to parties or leave town because of this diet, unless I do a lot of exhausting planning. It sucks.

But I'm starting to feel a LOT better.