Your Diet

Hi everyone,

I got diagnosed with Lyme very recently, and since then I haven't stop research and reading about this disease.
I read a lot about the diet. I know this is very important thing, but there are so many different pieces of information, that I got very confused. Some people recommend certain food, while other say it is strictly forbidden.
I have sensitive stomach. Especially when I eat meat or fat, my stomach literally stops and it takes ages to digest it. Do you think that Lyme can be the cause of my problems with digesting meat and fat? When I say fat, I do not mean fried food or something like that, I do not eat these, but olive oil, for example on salad or potatoes. If I eat potatoes without oil, they are digested very fast, however, if I add olive oil they are digested very long. Also, I saw that if I drink fizzy drink it help my digestion, I don't know why.
I wanted to ask you about your diet, which food do you eat, what do you avoid, and some advice about this topic.

Yes, there are lots of different diets recommended to people like us around the web. Though, most of the problem is when, on top of the "Lyme diet," it becomes the candida diet, the biofilm diet, etc. There's a number of conditions that often come along with the TBI, and some of which "require" special intake.

At the end of the day, you could be sitting there, starving yourself half to death in the name of health, which is counterproductive. That said, I'd say avoid problematic foods as much as possible (say, if you feel you're suffering from dysbiosis, fungal overgrowth, steer clear of the grains and legumes in excess, or even fruits and veggies with higher sugar/carb counts), but try to eat as balanced a diet as possible, hitting your recommended calories, and supplementing whatever vitamins and minerals you feel you might not be getting enough of.

That may sound like an obvious thing to do, but you'd be surprised how many people are probably depriving themselves when they might not have to be, at least to the extent that they do. I myself was one of them. I still don't eat a lot of the foods I'm afraid of, but you gotta pick and choose the lesser of the evils. People say a high fat, high protein diet is bad for certain things, but the fact that I have been able to get 2000+ calories a day for the first time in over a year without feeling like I am severely setting myself back (like I would if I were to eat some carbs, fruits) outweighs the risks. I might be feeding biofilms or whatever, but I don't seem to be getting much worse, and I might not have to be 120 lbs, skin and bones, at 24 years old anymore. I plan to start working out, when I get other aspects of my protocol figured out, and also feel more comfortable about my thyroid/adrenal situation. lol

Granted, I am trying to fix the issues that are keeping me from eating more things, but until then I am staying fed like this.

Anyway, it helps if you track your foods somehow. I don't know if you have a tablet or smartphone, but there are apps like MyFitnessPal with a database of foods and their nutrient information. I've been using it for about a month now.

As Trav mentioned, you might want to consider looking into working some digestive enzymes and bile supplement into your protocol. A diet high in fats and proteins could be very hard on the GI. The slow digestion affects absorption, you might not be getting all the calories and nutrients you think you are, wasted food. Though, use the low and slow approach when starting these things, and keep in mind that you might not need the same amount of them with every meal. It could depend on the amount of protein, fat in it, and the types. Using too much could be painful, or even damaging, and using too little could be a waste of the enzymes.

For example, I feel I have more trouble digesting chicken than eggs. It's thicker, tougher, has more mass to it, if that makes sense. Sometimes, I'll eat a lot of fat, and others not so much. I do not take the same amount of enzymes with each meal.

Anyway..

Blueberry - what a journey! I have done my best to follow the wisdom of my body, and its cravings. When I first suspected Lyme, and when I was trying to troubleshoot the headaches, I journalled what I ate, and simply cut out what seemed to correlate with an increase in headaches. When I researched what type of environment isn't so good for a lyme spirochete to live in, I was really surprised that my body was already naturally eating this way and I became more intentional. I haven't read anything (but I haven't read everything) associating poor digestion with lyme or co-infections, but a quick google search came up with a list of issues associated with poor digestion. http://www.diagnose-me.com/symptoms-of/dyspepsia-poor-digestion.php
That's how I have been problem solving, taking a look at all possible causes of things and being still and asking myself, hmmm... does this seem like it fits? Then try stuff out. If I feel progress, or something positive shift, I feel I am on the right track. Right now I am avoiding dairy, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and eat low sugar fruits, nuts, eggs, seafood, and recently added grass fed beef (I am meat averse for some reason) once a week, but am not sure I will continue past what I purchased. You might want to talk to your stomach, ask it, hey pal, what's up? I know that sounds silly... but perhaps something will bubble up from your intuition, or some bit of synchronistic info will surface that makes sense. Also - I am not "religious" about what I eat... I do indulge in organic chocolate made with date palm sugar, a glass of beer when out to celebrate someone's special day, and actually had 2 sugar free raisin squares yesterday. Its important to feed the soul. When the sweet goes in, I talk to the bacteria and say, this is for you.