Wellness

[magicmoodz]

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

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@magicmoodz wrote:

@QueenDanceALot

You give me a better understanding of IBS and how proper diet and exercise are not a cure-all. From outward appearances, we truly never know the struggles some people face because they "look" beautiful. In my mind you are the poster child for good health--eating a wfpb diet, working out, dancing and for emotional health the satisfaction of helping others as a personal trainer. 

And yet you have not escaped this somewhat debilitating condition. I wish you many, many more good days ahead than bad (and the coping skills to help you get through the bad). Going forward I will not be so narrow-minded as to think a person could control IBS through a proper diet and exercise.

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@magicmoodz

Oh, I have WAY more good days than bad!  Before I changed my diet and was still eating a lot of animal foods, I had bouts of MONTHS of inability to absorb nutrients because the bathroom was the room I was in for, no exaggeration, hours every morning, before I could leave the house.  I went to a nutritionist finally, because it was just so bad, I was exhausted.  I ate literally 6 things for almost a year - chicken breast, spinach, carrots, strawberries, kiwi, and romaine lettuce (and romaine really wasn't on the approved list).  It was very hard, I remember crying on the phone to the nutritionist telling her I just couldn't do it and she talked me through.  This all happened after I had been on the many rounds of antibiotics which had decimated my gut microbiome.  I could not digest most proteins, animal or plant.  It was diagnosed as leaky gut which some will scoff at, but I know it to be true, as many professionals now know to be true as well.  After several months I did improve and was able to start adding back other foods without difficulties.

Any time since if I have had a course of antibiotics I have the issue again.  But it resolves quicker than it did back then.  And then there was the prednisone that doctors LOVE to give out now when you come in with a sinus infection.  But it is SO bad for your body.  So, there was that.  Fall season, cleaning up the yard, exposed to leaf molds, would just kill me and I would end up with a respiratory problem.  PREDNISONE!  Made me feel like a new person really, really fast! (I think I mentioned this already) but boy is it bad stuff.

Anyway, this is probably more than you wanted to read, hahahaha, but for the mostpart, things are good these days.  I have gone through a lot of personal and professional upheaval (which is where I was going with this) in the past few years and I know, from my past, WAY back in my past, that emotional upheaval and stress causes my gut to react in not good ways.  It's not only the food.  I don't believe the body is separate from the mind and the soul.  I guess I look at it all in a very holistic fashion. 

SO, I use the catch all name of "IBS", but really, it's probably not entirely accurate.

Funny, my family doctor when I was just a little tiny girl, before anyone knew about leaky gut or the microbiome, or anything about anything related to gut issues, called it "Nervous Stomach".

Haha, so that's what I call it!  But at least I feel like I have the knowledge and the tools now to deal with it and in the words of Barney Fife, "****** IT IN THE BUD!".

  

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@QueenDanceALot

Oh my gosh, it sounds like you have been to hell and back trying to determine a fix for your condition. I am so happy that you did your research, were treated and have adopted a way of life (physically and emotionally,) that has given you your life back. 

It sounds to me like antibiotics played a part in your gut health. I am of the opinion that we as a society are too quick to take that pill. It is ironic but the friend of whom I spoke has a long history of sinus and bladder infections for which she of course has been on round after round of antibiotics. A correlation perhaps? My thinking is pretty much the opposite. I feel my body is a mighty fortress and believe it can heal itself. Knock on wood that I don't fall down and break a leg for saying that.😱

Thank you, Kitty, for sharing your personal journey. It is very insightful.

[Nadine]

Thanks for the help. Not bloated, just kind of low energy and just feeling a little off f that makes sense. I eat a lot of fruit, bananas, blueberries, apple and watermelon so my system is used to that. We had been on  Paleo off and on for the past year so this is really different.Last week we were having a protein drink, adding Matcha, blueberries and banana. Lunch amys vegetarian enchiladas which probably wasnt good. Also had some amys bean burritos in the freezer. Dinner in some case was a huge salad with some kind of grain, cukes, black beans, carrots tomatoes etc.

[sidsmom]

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@Nadine wrote:

Thanks for the help. Not bloated, just kind of low energy and just feeling a little off f that makes sense. I eat a lot of fruit, bananas, blueberries, apple and watermelon so my system is used to that. We had been on  Paleo off and on for the past year so this is really different.Last week we were having a protein drink, adding Matcha, blueberries and banana. Lunch amys vegetarian enchiladas which probably wasnt good. Also had some amys bean burritos in the freezer. Dinner in some case was a huge salad with some kind of grain, cukes, black beans, carrots tomatoes etc.

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@Nadine

Are you familiar with Cronometer, the food tracking app?

It might be good to initially track everything for a week/2.

It’s a good way to make sure you’re eating enough calories

and not too much fat, which can hinder the process. 

[Nadine]

Hadn't heard of tha app. I hope I'm not making this to dfficult. I seem to do that , overthink stuff. I've joined a fb group and watched some videos on ytube so I'm slowly getting it together.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@magicmoodz wrote:

@sidsmom

Thank you for taking the time to list a comprehensive elimination diet. You and @QueenDanceALot are the best! I have no doubt that my friend would turn up her nose at the very thought of even trying removing her favorite foods in favor of feeling on top of her game.

And therein lies a problem with our "healthcare". Oftentimes people who have an ailment run to the doctor for their quick fix. Of course there are conditions that absolutely require doctor consultation/guidance and medications, but sometimes we aren't willing to do the hard work that could ensure optimal health.

I have a friend (currently 57) who has been on blood pressure meds since he was 50. We were at a party last weekend and I wanted to tell him to put the fork down. Granted the party was catered and the food looked delish, but how about exercising a little discipline? Recently I suggested he might have IBS after spending a weekend together and by Sunday he was married to the bathroom--like all day long. Thankfully our mutual friend has a 3 bathroom lake home! Haha! But the truth of the matter is Friday and Saturday he indulged in food like it was the Last Supper. 

Stepping down from my soapbox now but plan to bookmark all the good information you provided. Thank you!

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@magicmoodz

Unless someone wants to help themselves there really isn't anything you can do.  They are going to do what they want.

I have a couple of friends who gauge the success of every get together by the food served.  Not the company, not the conversation, not the possible activity.  It's all about the food.  And it's always heavy on animal products and sugar.  And then they complain that they don't have the energy to go for a walk.  They say they want to lose weight (one has to sleep upright in a chair with a CPap (I think that's what it's called) so she can breathe , but won't do anything to help her situation.

What can I do?  Nothing.  They think I'm going to die from not eating meat and dairy. 

[QueenDanceALot]

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@SandGirl wrote:

@QueenDanceALot

You are so inspiring and so nice of you to go into detail to really help out.

Okay, so I know I need to build up the enzyme to break down the lentils and beans, I eat pretty basic only because I hate to cook and had to get my body used to broccoli too, I eat it every day, a very large portion with no issues what so ever (wasn't the case when I first started eating it) it helps block bad estorgens and so far it has worked wonders for me.

So, this morning I am soaking beans and soaking lentils!!!!!  I am going to give this a whirl, I will start out with less than a third cup a day for a few weeks and work my way up, i will begin to weed out the Beyond Meat and switch my protein source over to plant based whole food.  THANKS TO YOU!!

You should have your own blog    I plan to keep following thse plant based forum threads, I'm so sick of hearing KETO all over FB I can just puke.  

3 years ago is when it all started, the craze that is.... and now you can buy all sorts of Keto "products" / supplements, see how fast the money hungry industries jumped on that wagon?  EYE OPENING

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@SandGirl

And then there is the new offshoot craze, the Carnivore Diet.  All these people eat is meats, eggs and animal fats.  And they talk about eating raw meats and organ meats, yes raw.  It's really a "Thing".

Talk about feeling like puking.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@Nadine wrote:

also wondered about the oil free thing. Sweet potato etc. I'm used to adding salt and butter so how do you eat them without butter?

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@Nadine

I just eat them plain.  I've never really eaten sweet potatoes all gussied up with butter or salt or anything else.  I like how they taste au naturel (well, cooked in the Instant Pot until soft enough to mash with a fork!).

But then one day I put some black beans and corn on top of one and, with a side of greens, it was dinner.  It's now a standby, easy peasy meal.  And sometimes instead of the plain black beans and corn I'll put a black bean and corn salsa on them instead, a salsa with a spicy kick.  I love that.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@SandGirl wrote:

@Nadine

to much grain on a clean vegan diet can cause a host of probelms and spike blood sugars in some. You had grains for each meal, Oats, Ezekial bread and then pasta for dinner, dried fruit chips wreck havoc on my gut, then you had crakers.  I think you may want to try to stick more to whole foods rather than all the processed, the only thing unprocessed you ate is the banana, blueberrys and watermellow which are great don't get me wrong but again if your system isn't used to that much fruit it can surely make you feel bad.

Do you mind sharing how you feel, you just said you haven't felt good since going on it. Are you bloated? Tired? Tummy hurt? How active are you? You may need to add in some protein source like beans and lentils but of course start those slowly if you are not used to eating them.

I find that keeping things simple work best for me and my digestion, you may be adding to much variety and processed foods starting out on this way of eating which can quickly set you up for failure and wanting to quit eating this way.

Please share how exactly you are feeling and I'm hoping others will chime in and we can give you some good examples of meals so that you can make this a success, we ALL started somewhere and have been in your exact shoes so don't give up, you just need some guidance to get you on YOUR right path 

@QueenDanceALot  Can you help, pretty please?! 

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@SandGirl

I agree about the grains.  @Nadine posted a day's food example above and it had oats (a good, whole grain), Ezikiel Bread (also whole grains, minimally processed, no flour) and spaghetti (very processed - flour) and crackers (also processed grain).  That's a heavy grain day and the only greens I see is a dinner salad, but no particulars about what the salad was comprised of.  So, I see a lack of many micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in that day's eating and I would totally be falling asleep on that amount of grain in a day.  Sometimes I do that, I think my glycogen stores get really low, but I try not to do that very often as it does lead to fatigue.  

I believe some people are more sensitive to the effects of grains (and I include the WHOLE grains in this statement) than others.  Add to that that some people are sensitive to gluten grains, even if they aren't suffering from Celiac disease, and all those grains can wipe them out.  Of course, you still have to find calorically dense carbohydrates (like sweet potatoes!) so that you get enough calories.  You cannot get enough calories from greens, BUT you need the greens for the minerals.

Pretty early on starting WFPB eating I plugged everything into Cronometer to see where I stood with Macros, Micros, and Calories.  It is very helpful to do so, but then you have to be aware that the foods you are consuming may not have the same amount of each vitamin or mineral that the tracker (Cronometer) shows.  That depends on how your food was grown, where it was grown, how far away it was grown, how old it is by the time it gets to you, etc., etc., etc.

And then you don't know for sure how well you are absorbing (i.e., how bioavailable) those nutrients.  I eat a little overt fat with every meal (i.e. a couple of nuts, a little avocado, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, etc) to facilitate good absorption.  Some say that you don't need to do this, but I am not convinced of that, and I follow a number of athletes who do add the overt fats to each meal for the same reason.  

Anyhoo, I think @Nadine may need to be eating fewer grains and more greens, if the sample day's eating was a good representation of an average day.

[Nadine]

I have been eating so many salads. The day I mentioned was one when the grandkids were here for dinner so I cooked pasta and that isn't the norm. I took some recipes off the knives and forks site and I'm tinking about joining to get the meal plans. I think that would be really helpful.

[SandGirl]

@QueenDanceALot  Carnivore Diet?! Oh my, KETO spin off just drop all the carbs I guess. It screams CANCER to me, it's a fact that higher meat consumption is associated with cancers and especially colon.

Yet, I'm with you, just hearing that made me throw up a bit....... unreal!!!