Overwhelmed - Need Diet Intervention

[ericaz]

For the last umpteen years I've been dealing with leaky gut/candida issues on and off. I'm in desperate need of support and direction as I'm feeling completely overwhelmed by how to get started on a new healing path.

Before having kids I was pretty successful at getting my gut back in balance. I took tons of supplements ($$$ that we don't have right now) and ate as close to a pristine diet as you can imagine. I studied holistic nutrition at Bauman College in CA and used a combination of the BED, SCD and Nourishing Traditions (I am a former WAPF chapter leader for crying out loud) as guides for my eating habits. After I had dd I got off track and begin eating poorly. This waxed and waned and I went back to eating healthy only when my issues flared. Then I got pg with my son and all hell broke lose. Actually, that's not true. All hell broke lose a few months ago when I started making cocktails every night before dinner to cope with the stress of having two kids and a husband who works LONG hours.
I ate like crap. Occasional fast food. Obvious foods someone with a history like mine should not be eating. I need an intervention. And some guidance.

I don't even know where to begin. How do I do this with a family to take care of? It was like a part time job when I did it pre-kids. My kids are open minded to trying new things and luckily don't seem to have any food sensitivities.

Right now it's hard to type. I have this horrendous eczema all over my hands (dyshidrosis - please shoot me now) and my gut is a mess. My toddler is in the corner having a mini-tantrum so I need to wrap this up. I'm going to eliminate most grains - I think if I give up corn and rice right away I'll lose my mind. Dairy will be out. I seem to react to eggs. What can I have for breakfast? Can I do butter? Gawd, I want to be able to do butter. :

I need help with meal planning - and ideas on how to stick with this. I've started and stopped about 5 times alone this month. As soon as I get going something happens and do something really dumb like eat a slice of pizza.

Fwiw, my rotating list of issues are ones you are all familiar with and read like the guidebook for what Candida/Leaky Gut looks like: IBS, IC, YI, eczema, poor memory, seasonal allergies, yada yada.

Man, this thread is almost incoherent. Please help, wise mamas.

[ericaz]

Nothing?
:
Is this in the wrong forum?

[lil_earthmomma]

Wow, it took guts to write all of that out!!!

While I personally don't have the answer, I think you should check out the traditional foods forum. They have many women who are dealing with leaky gut/candidia issues.

I hope you get the healing you are so desperately in need of.

[tanyalynn]

Good forum, but others would also help (like Health & Healing--meant to type that earlier, got distracted--a bit more health-related problem-solving there).

Quick thoughts... there are several grain-free threads around, I'll link one that has quite a few others linked in to give us inspiration...

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...1112584&page=6

We talk some about organization (which I'm still struggling with, we're transitioning grain-free right now and today I am completely exhausted, mostly I'm beyond that these days, but today is an exception), and getting into a routine, having some stuff cooked already, like that. Cause it _is_ hard, a lot harder than not _having_ to cook all sorts of stuff mostly from scratch, and when you feel bad, it's WAY harder. We started GFCF when I felt pretty bad, and it was rough, it just was. But I needed it, so it wasn't optional. Cleaning is still optional, laundry is 2 laundry baskets piled with clean stuff. Ruthless prioritization.

And hey--I'd say if you have started and stopped 5 times, you're transitioning too! I am cutting us some slack in going completely grain-free, it's not easy, and for me the benefit is less clear-cut than gluten/dairy free. So it's harder.

Next, any idea _why_ your gut is so messed up? Cause it sounds like you've worked really hard but not had lasting improvement, so maybe some stress is still at-play? Have you considered heavy metals? I know there are other causes, I think this one can be overlooked which is why I mention it. Amalgam fillings would be the most common cause in that category, but there are other sources--lots of lead in childhood (blood lead levels in kids are way down, but what about the kids who were exposed a generation ago?), some sort of occupational exposure for some other odd metal? Something to consider as a root cause, not sure where you are in figuring out a reason for your gut unhappiness.

If you need to avoid certain foods, for whatever reason, you can get meal ideas in Allergies. It's not just ana IgE allergies, though those are also represented on the board. The thread I listed earlier is in the Allergies forum.

[ericaz]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

Good forum, but others would also help (like Health & Healing--meant to type that earlier, got distracted--a bit more health-related problem-solving there).

Quick thoughts... there are several grain-free threads around, I'll link one that has quite a few others linked in to give us inspiration...

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...1112584&page=6

We talk some about organization (which I'm still struggling with, we're transitioning grain-free right now and today I am completely exhausted, mostly I'm beyond that these days, but today is an exception), and getting into a routine, having some stuff cooked already, like that. Cause it _is_ hard, a lot harder than not _having_ to cook all sorts of stuff mostly from scratch, and when you feel bad, it's WAY harder. We started GFCF when I felt pretty bad, and it was rough, it just was. But I needed it, so it wasn't optional. Cleaning is still optional, laundry is 2 laundry baskets piled with clean stuff. Ruthless prioritization.

And hey--I'd say if you have started and stopped 5 times, you're transitioning too! I am cutting us some slack in going completely grain-free, it's not easy, and for me the benefit is less clear-cut than gluten/dairy free. So it's harder.

Next, any idea _why_ your gut is so messed up? Cause it sounds like you've worked really hard but not had lasting improvement, so maybe some stress is still at-play? Have you considered heavy metals? I know there are other causes, I think this one can be overlooked which is why I mention it. Amalgam fillings would be the most common cause in that category, but there are other sources--lots of lead in childhood (blood lead levels in kids are way down, but what about the kids who were exposed a generation ago?), some sort of occupational exposure for some other odd metal? Something to consider as a root cause, not sure where you are in figuring out a reason for your gut unhappiness.

If you need to avoid certain foods, for whatever reason, you can get meal ideas in Allergies. It's not just ana IgE allergies, though those are also represented on the board. The thread I listed earlier is in the Allergies forum.

Thanks for the feedback and link, mama.
I like your interpretation. Transition. That has a much nicer ring to it than flailing.

I think I have a sensitive constitution and a major problem with overindulging. It's hard to have a little bit of some guilty food. I want a lot. And then some more.
I do have amalgams. I'd love to get them out one day but that costs money. We're in some serious financial debt/in over our heads with bills so I can't even think about getting rid of the metal in my mouth.
Stress is a factor, I'm sure of it. I don't cope well with stressors, big or small. I freak out. I need to breathe better and more deeply.

Anyway, my gut. Yeah, when it's in balance I feel so much better. I don't have the pelvic issues for one - and I don't have the feelings of being frazzled all the time.

Oh, and I'm nearly 17 months post partum and don't have my period back. For this I'm grateful. My periods have always been awful and while I'm hoping they'll be better this time around I don't have all that much faith. But that will surely compromise this situation.

You are so right, Tanya...it's harder to do this when you don't feel well. It's also harder with two kids in tow. I'm feeling so guilty for spending way too much time online researching this stuff....

[kjbrown92]

I also recommend the Allergies subforum of Health & Healing.
My blog, www.kathysrecipebox.com is filled with recipes, searchable by allergen. There are treats on there as well as main dishes (for instance, tonight the kids had banana pina colada pudding that I burned sugar on so they could pretend it was creme brulee). We make pizza but with a crust from www.buckwheatpete.com (the pita recipe) and pine nut ricotta (it's listed on my blog, it's not my recipe, and on the recipe sticky under Resources at the top of the Allergies page). I do spend a lot of time cooking (I have 3 kids). Two of my kids have intolerances (a lot of them) plus me. And it was overwhelming at first, but has become much easier since I found the Allergies forum and all the helpful ladies there. Since you've eaten healthy in the past, you know what needs to be done. And feeling healthier (and probably happier) is your motivation.

[WuWei]

Where to start? Help 101

This is my "Cliffs Notes" version for health guts.

Lemon in water. Bone broth. Epsom salt baths. Then Green juices or broccoli or liver. Then..

Most cost effective alternatives are whole food nutrients.

homemade bone broth every. single. day. 1 cup (MANY nutrients needed for detox, plus minerals)
homemade milk kefir every. single. day. 1 cup (gradually work up, start with an ounce, increase by 1 ounce a week.) (B vits, enzymes, most probiotics in proper ph)
homemade kombucha every. single. day. (start with an ounce, increase by 1 ounce a month, if no mercury fillings.) (displaces and replaces candida albicans in the gut)
green smoothie every. single. day. day 2 cups (any juice plus any dark leafy greens, rotate produce)
liver one ounce, only three times a week. (B-vits essential for detox)

coconut oil 1 Tbls every. single. day. (medium chain fatty acids, kills candida in the large intestine)
fermented CLO, every. single day. (most expensive item) (vit A, D, K, EFAs)
Bubbies sauerkraut 1 Tbls. every. single. day. (or other raw, fermented food) (probiotics)
Brazil nuts 2 ONLY, every. single. day. (selenium)
Epsom salts a pinch in water, all day long. (magnesium sulfate)
Celtic Sea Salt a pinch in every glass of water, broth. (microminerals)
Lemon juice, fresh squeezed, 1 tsp. in every glass of water or smoothie. (alkalizing to body ph, paradoxically)
Raw local honey, 1 Tbls at bedtime. (helps bifidum bacteria to grow in the gut)
Egg yolk, 1 per day. (if not IgE) (nutrients help to detox)
Vit C, 1000mg, two times a day. (helps to detox)

Total cost about $4 per day.



Pat

[babycarrier]

What about kombucha if you have mercury fillings?

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by farmlife

What about kombucha if you have mercury fillings?

Not while nursing/preg/ttc; and only small amounts if not nursing/preg/ttc, imo.


Pat

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by farmlife

What about kombucha if you have mercury fillings?

Originally Posted by WuWei

Not while nursing/preg/ttc; and only small amounts if not nursing/preg/ttc, imo.


Pat

Kombucha is a detoxifier, a fairly strong one given that it's a real food. Some people with amalgam fillings don't detoxify heavy metals well (well, some people without amalgam fillings don't detoxify heavy metals well, but they'd hopefully have a lot less exposure), and so starting kombucha can be particularly problematic for them. The more health problems a person has, the more cautious they should be. Personally I don't think the risk is worth it for any nursing mom, fillings or not, given that the nurseling is at risk too. If you're not nursing/pregnant/ttc, and have amalgam fillings or have health issues, you can try it, but consider how you feel, not just day-by-day, but mood issues over the course of several weeks. My 2 cents.

[Metasequoia]

I don't think Bubbies sauerkraut is raw...the pickles are, but AFAIK, not the kraut.