Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; A few More questions....

thanks for these articles jroc, very informative.

I have also read that there is just as much absorbable calcium in a cup of cooked brocolli as in a glass of milk.

Chelsea

There's probably a direct relationship between the severity and duration of the AS symptoms and responsiveness to the NSD. If you subscribe to the leaky gut theory, some people feel that if one has taken copious quantities of NSAIDs, then they'll respond slower since their gut is so damaged.

I responded quickly to NSD, but in hindsight, it was because of a number of factors. I took very little NSAIDs - maybe for 4-7 days when I experienced my first flare. I also unknowingly eased into NSD by being gluten-free for 3-4 weeks before being formally diagonsed with spondy and discovering this site and the benefits of the NSD diet. Also during this time, I was getting acupuncture treatment. During my first three weeks, 90% of my pain was alleviated, but then as I tried to ween myself off the acupuncture, my symptoms would gradually return. It wasn't until I went NSD that I had results that could be sustained. By the end of the next 3-4 weeks, my pain scores were 0 or 1. Initially, I thought that acupuncture was dictating my improvement, and while it helped, there's no doubt that the driver of my improvement was a strict NSD diet. I still would like to know whether or not acupuncture accelerated the response to the NSD; I believe so, but will never know for certain.

If I had to do it over again, I would have done an apple fast to start (can't now because I'm on the candida diet), and would have tested everything with iodine (especially my supplements) instead of relying solely on the sticky "the starch contents of foods".

The intersection of the NSD and the Candida Diet is frighteningly limited, but I'm glad I did it. I feel that I've mitigated many of my Canada-esque symptoms too. If that also assists in better gut health, than it'll be worth it.

Best of luck!

Freddie

Hi Jroc,

Thanks for the links and the advice. A single serving (roughly) of dairy doesn't seem to bother me, which is what I have been doing lately, but two or more servings is enough to make me want to stay close to home, just in case. My doctors praise dairy, and obviously don't understand what it's like to have dairy problems, so they keep persisting that I eat as much of it as I can. I'm going to make list(s) of foods according to their nutrition and work on it from there. That's something I should have done a long time ago.

Take Care,
James

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone has any advice on better cereals to eat for breakfast. I currently eat Weetabix, Porridge and Bran Flakes. I am a little confused if these are ok.

All help appreciated.

Kirsty

HI Kirsty,

Firstly, if you are doing the NSD, the simple answer is "definitely none of these!!!" They contain (little other than) wheat or oat starches!!! A definite no-no...

If you go to the diet specific recipes section, there is a recent thread there on a granola-like alternative (posted by Jan - "naj") and some further links in that discussion for more breakfast ideas.

You might need to get your head around things other than "cereal or toast" for breakfast - how about eggs? There are a zillion different ways to do them, and add in other yummy (safe) things in an omelette, scrambled eggs etc.

Poached or fresh fruit and natural yoghurt if you can do dairy. make sure you read all labels to ascertain if there are any hidden nasties (thickeners) lurking...

I cant seem to fine iodine... where are you purchasing it?

You can buy it from some pharmacies- but not all. A lot of the larger chains seem to be selling alternatives, such as "colorless iodine", which does not work for us. Nevertheless, I have found it in about half the stores I have checked.