Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; What am I doing wrong?

You guys are so helpful! Thank you so much!

Former Foodie - any tips for an elimination diet? How would that work? What type of food would you recommend I start with?

I'm willing to try anything!

Thanks again!

Michelle

The diet didn't work consistently for me until I adopted the paleolithic auto-immune diet (see Robb Wolf, Loren Cordain etc...)

No nuts or seeds
No eggs
No nightshades
No dairy
No cooked vegetables (too starchy)
No starch
No alcohol
No sugar
No fruit

Full on I know. But within 3 months of changing the diet radically I could have a beer and dark chocolate without any issues. I miss spices but other than that I don't really miss much any more.

I am now back eating eggs and about 98-99% in remission. I flared a few weeks ago but it passed quickly. Flares are pretty much random and less intense. I rarely post because I am always learning and making mistakes.

The best plan of attack is (in my opinion)
1. Be strict early on and introduce as quickly as you can
2. But be patient. I am just days from 2 years on the diet. It is slow but steady progress.

As for your food list:
My current diet:
- breakfast: frozen mixed berries , home-made goat's milk yogurt (24 hour yogurt to reduce lactose), chia seeds (dodgy for me), bacon (does it contain starch/gluten: test with iodine), hard-boiled egg (made me flare in early days of diet)

- lunch: tuna, avocado (possible hidden starches), home-made almond flour bread (made with: eggs, almond flour, butter, goat's milk yogurt, baking soda) (I can't do any baked goods, "spring mix" greens (baby lettuces, endive, radicchio), dressing (olive oil, vinegar (dodgy), garlic (dodgy for some, including me), fresh basil and dill), sometimes sliced cucumber (seeds are starchy)

- dinner: Chicken, pork, or beef with olive oil and fresh basil and dill and salt and "spring mix" greens with same dressing above

- Supplements/meds: Glutamine, enteric coated oregano/peppermint oil tablets (I've stopped these now, thinking they've caused a flare), evening primrose oil tablets, birth control pills (probably starchy, but can't quit them for another week), Ketorolac (prescription only when flare is bad).

If I was you give it 30 days and eat only salad greens, spinach, meat, fish and oils. This would have saved me so much time.

However, on the other hand be patient. You may be lucky and respond really well to NSD. But it will take time. Just go totally starch free, test everything and sit tight for a few months.

A couple of options for you.

Cheers

Keith

Alinus - my Dr is/was convinced I had an IBD of some sort... perhaps Crohn's. We've done a number of tests in that regard and he's not been able to conclude that I have IBD. He still has a suspicion that it's the beginnings of IBD, but we just have to "wait until it get's worse". That's not MY preference!

Bad boy perhaps... but I might need to heed your advice for a little while and see if it works!

Thanks, Michelle

How I did the elimination diet: I didn't do an apple fast, but I started out on a one day broth fast. So for one day, I only consumed homemade, starch free chicken broth. I also did spoons of coconut oil so that I could have some calories, but in a form that I knew was safe. (Note, I didn't do a real fast, because I didn't have the weight to lose. I thought it would be too dangerous for me to do a real fast. You need to use common sense and do what you think is best for your situation.)

Then the next day, I would add one thing. As I became more brave, I would add two things. This makes things harder, because you're trying to isolate any offending foods. If you add one thing a day, it's easier to spot any triggering foods. If you're lucky (unlucky?), you'll receive clear indications of a reaction so that you know what to put on the starch embargo list. Over a while, you'll have a set of foods to work with. I'm a big advocate of a food diary. Maybe it's the geek in me, but I kept an Excel spreadsheet of pain scores, what I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and noted when I introduced new supplements. I found that to be helpful too.

As others have said, leafy greens are generally safe. As opposed to adding only one thing at a time, I was sloppy in my diet, and I included all leafy greens at once. Celery was safe for me too.

I hope your enthusiasm for going down the NSD path pays off in spades. Everyone reacts differently to it, so take the experiences of others (including/especially my own) with a grain of salt.

I hope you'll reap quick benefits, but don't be discouraged if it's slow and steady progress with intermittent steps backwards. It's a learning process, so you just need to be vigilant and very self aware.

Hang in there, and good luck!

Good stuff! I definitely subscribe to the notion that not only can you eat things that are non-starch to prevent flares...but you can also eat in a manner that strengthens your immune system. For example, if you subscribe to the belief that sugar impairs your immune system and that spondylitis is an auto-immune disease, being this strict can help.

In hindsight, the biggest lesson for me was that I needed to make sure I increased my fat intake (gotta have some calories) if I stopped my sugar intake. I also ate too much protein and not enough fat initially. That was a mistake on my part.

Keith's list pretty much sums up my diet with a few exceptions (walnuts, eggs, butter and vegetables are OK cooked). Although I didn't add walnuts and butter for a while...

Good luck!

IF you have IBD, even in early stages - then you should avoid condiments - at least the most acidic ones, be carrefull with fat, and avoid dairy&sugar. Honey is ok for many.


I have nothing to add, the others described well the elimination diet.
Good luck.

Hello Michelle,

Items on your list that may be an isues...

- home made yogurt - I tried several attempts... at different number of days as well to take out lactose. Always flared and disappointed. I had to buy Stoneyfield Farms organic brand in States.

- Bacon - usually has additives.. I always stayed away from.

- Avocado - always wanted to keep in diet... tried 4 attempts, each a failure. Great source of healthy fat.. but always flared.

- Supplements - I had several issues with supplements.. sometimes only the capsule.

Other items have not tried.. chia seeds, almond flour. Almonds here make me flare. I stay with walnuts.

Take care,

Tim