Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Diet Update

I've been on the NSD for four days now. I had attempted the NSD last month but cheated from time to time but since Monday I have been completely starch free. My diet has been vegetables (lettuce, carrots, broccoli, cuccumbers), fruit (blueberries, cherries, grapes, pineapple, dates, raisins), eggs, and meat (steak, hamburger, chicken, canned tuna in olive oil). I drink green tea with honey and orange and grape juice. I have completely cut out all breads and pastas of any form, all dairy products, sodas, and sugars, and caffeine. I even cut out the fringe foods like almonds, stoneyfield yogurt, cheese, and fruits like apples, bananas and tomatoes. Does this list look okay?

Thus far I haven't noticed any difference. I understand it can take awhile although I was hoping to see quick results since I am going completely starch free. I am hoping for the better but for some reason I have this nagging feeling that it won't work. I mean if this diet is so succesful why haven't any of my doctors ever mentioned it? You would think that they would at least suggest it?

Oh for goodness sake, 4 days is NOTHING! Please don't be disheartened that you haven't had a miracle result just yet - most people don't.

My husband Jon started the diet and went extremely strict straight off. He had a lot of swelling in his peripheral joints and within a month the swelling was greatly reduced but he still had very high pain levels. It took 9 months before was able to completely come off the NSAIDS. Pain began to reduce within a month but really started to leap ahead after approx 3 months. It took us this long to get the diet fine tuned and elimate everything that was hurting him.

So come on now, don't you give up - you've just started. You can do it I know you can and it is WORTH IT!

Yes, you would think doctors would promote the diet but as it's had no clinical trials etc they won't (apparently very difficult to do accurate trials as diets are difficult to police and people cheat etc not like with medication trials where they just have to take a pill at a certain time). I told my hubby's Rhuematologist we were going to try the diet and he said OK try it for a month and then Jon can start taking this medication because the diet don't work. Well, Jon started the diet and hasn't looked back since and has never been back to the Rheumy and is off all pain/inflamation medication. He doesn't take sulphasalazine or methotextrate or anything like that. When he started the diet he literally could not walk or work due to severe pain and swelling in his knees, ankles, feet, heels, back, neck, shoulder amd toes and he has been back at work full time after being on the diet for about 4 months. He's been on the diet for 13 months now.

Please ensure you test everything you're eating with iodine. If fruit isn't ripened properly it can be starchy. Sauces are often starchy. Many cooked vegies are starchy. Raw carrots can be starchy - TEST TEST TEST!!! If in doubt don't eat it.

Good luck, stick with it and be determined. You can have a life taking toxic meds that hardly impact on your AS progression and then more toxic meds for their side effects or with some discipline and patience you can get your AS under control. It is true that some people find the diet doesn't work for them (some with genuine reasons and some not) but don't you give up before you've even started. It all starts with your attitude.

This is your life so make it worth living.

All the best my friend,
Chelsea

As Chelsea stated, 4 days is not very long... if dysbyosis with klebs is pretty bad, many take a while. I was at the advantage was taking a med with antibiotic properties that controlled my symptoms (and klebs) when I transitioned over to the diet. So I saw results within a week.

Tim

I have been doing NSD for a few months. I kept cheating (milk in coffee, etc, nothing I chewed) and never found total relief. But it lessened, I was able to come off of muscle relaxants and only take Ibupr. when I was going out with friends and not staying put. (600mg but beter than nothing) So that was a plus right there !! I was getting discouraged, like you, and then I had a break through !! Two days of NO PAIN. Happiest days in the last two years !! A bit shocking when I woke up that first morning, to tell you the truth !! I didn´t have to lean on my sink to wash my face. But then the ache came back, but I´m absolutely sure I´m on the right track now. It´s like a combination code I just don´t have the answer to. YET !!

Those two days were enough for me to keep going. I figured that maybe my gut isn´t healed enough, so I´ve cut out the meat. (It just rots in your guts anyway) Loads of Olive Oil and flaxseed oil on a daily salad have helped. I´ve just found miso paste. THANK GOD: Flavour !! You can use it in soups or marinates for the veg. Very good for you. Just beware of the packaged stuff that comes with the Tofu. Just use the paste. And I test it before with Iodine.

Maybe try the apple fast, then salads, then veg, then add fish into your diet. Lose the meat and poultry for a spell.

Be strong. It will work.

I've been on the diet for a year and a half now and I've had my ups and downs, but it is worth it. The downs come when I have cheated. I recently took a big trip to Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand and cheated a lot (beer, iced coffee and ice cream; it was really hot). As a result I have temporarily gone back on the sulfasalazine. It is only temporary, because I know the diet has woked for me. It took about 2 weeks for it to strart working for me the first time.
Becareful of green tea. I don't know about your brand, but many types here in asia are made with rice and contain caffine. I have never had a problem with apples, just test them.

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I mean if this diet is so succesful why haven't any of my doctors ever mentioned it? You would think that they would at least suggest it?

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No, not really. Below is advice on today's BBC web site. The emphasis is mine. It took physicians 2000 years to abandon blood letting as the cure for all ills so I don't know how long the starch fix will last.

Eating for a healthy gut
To encourage a healthy digestive system, it's important to eat well. The Digestive Disorders Association recommends the following:

Drink plenty of fluids every day - betweens six and eight glasses a day to help replace lost fluid.
Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. A glass of fresh fruit juice counts as a portion.
Eat plenty of starchy and fibre-rich foods such as pasta, cereals, beans and bread.
Eat foods that promote friendly bacteria in your gut. These include live yoghurts and fermented milk drinks with friendly bacteria.

hi gypsy, I was interested to see you've tested miso paste and its fine - i have some in the cupboard from before the diet and it says its made with brown rice....are their several types do you know?

Thanks

Hey Sarah, Miso´s been a great find. I found it in oriental shop. I bought the hatcho.

The different types of miso include:
hatcho miso (made from soybeans)
kome miso (made from white rice and soybeans)
mugi miso (made from barley and soybeans)
soba miso (made from buckwheat and soybeans)
genmai miso (made from brown rice and soybeans)
natto miso (made from ginger and soybeans

Vegan nonsense.
Remember, a doctor is usually a person who can survive on Twinkies out of the vending machine and coffee and went thru residency on 1 or 2 hours of sleep a night. They aren't like the rest of us anyway. They don't eat that crap either, they just tell other people to eat it.

I remember reading a "registered dietician's" advice once on how to eat if one had Irritable Bowel syndrome...it was obvious from the totally ridiculous suggestions that the authoress had not a single clue what IBS actually was, because it was the same diet as the food pyramid...only you ate moderate portions of everything. Anyone with IBS who read that would have been either furious or laughing their butt off at her stupidity. And this was on a very well known "health" websight. Idiots.