Full remission and food - "regular" food?

I had planned on going back to a 'regular' diet for the most part after healing, but now have intestinal food allergies that have required more drastic diet changes than Lyme ever did for me.

It all depends on the strength of his immune system as to what he will be able to "get away with". Strong immune systems can deal with more "distractions" like a diet that's not so good.

At least that's how I see it with what I've read.

It has nothing to do with what type of treatment a person had though, no matter whether it was IV/PICC, oral abx or herbals. This comes back to the body dealing with stress and poor diet is a stress on the body.

I don't think the Standard American Diet can be called real food. It is certainly not what humans evolved to eat.

The pesticides contained in grains and legumes (desiccated with an extra dose of glyphosate before harvest, even if they aren't GMO), in the animal meats fed with these grains, and the other chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables - all act as antimicrobials in our guts, killing off beneficial bacteria and allowing the pathogenic species (including candida) to flourish. Sugar/corn syrup is a problem, not only because of it's high glycemic index which feeds candida, but because as a GMO it is sprayed with large amounts of glyphosate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLyp4-Ob3Eo&feature=youtu.be

http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416

http://nhrighttoknowgmo.org/BreakingNews/Glyphosate_II_Samsel-Seneff.pdf

Going back to a diet which includes these foods is not beneficial to gut bacteria which are responsible for a large portion of the body's immune system.

I think that we need to consider immune function and it's dependence on a healthy, properly functioning gut when we decide to return to the "regular diet" that likely contributed to our compromised health in the first place.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/30/fiber-fermentation-gut-health.aspx

My now 18 year old son (who is not suffering from lyme/bart/babesia like our daughter) had a terrible problem with acne during his mid-teen years. The only thing that helped him was his undertaking of the diet my daughter and myself are using.

I started spamming him with articles like the ones I posted above and although he pretty much ignored me at first (and has admitted to it),now low and behold, they make sense to him.

Because he now understands that just because something is packaged in a box that says "food" doesn't necessarily make it so, he finds himself more willing to give up the things he used to love: bread, desserts, chocolate etc. Not that I have any of that in the house anymore.

He moved to University last fall and is now cooking for himself. He hits the farmers markets on the weekends and finds lower priced organic produce, locally grown when possible. He is actually having fun talking with the Mennonite farmers he meets there and they in turn enjoy conversing with a kid that has questions and is interested.

If I had thought our son was capable of this type of behaviour 2 years ago I would have thought myself delusional.

Help teach your son why the foods he is required to eat are healthy for him. The more he understands, the more logical these food choices will appear.

Don't be. The whole "grasping the concept of good food" was probably easier for my son because he is not suffering the psych complications your son is. My 13 yo daughter certainly hasn't completely caught on yet.

She went to a church confirmation retreat on the weekend. I sent organic snacks with her to share as well as to eat herself. She shared alright, and so did others. She said they were pretty darned good - the chips, candy, pop that is, not the stuff I sent. Ahhhhh.

Keep setting a good example at home and perhaps as he recovers he will understand that proper nutrition plays an important role in immune function.

We've got to just keep trying.

Well, he does have a '"treat" and takes a spoonful of peanut butter, but I know that's not helping the candida. I just hate to take everything away.

My older son is 22, 6' 3 1/2" and about 180. He lifts and runs to work off stress. At college, if this helps you any, he (and my daughter), also in college, try to make healthy choices. They have the meat and veggies. He goes to the potato fixings bar and gets raw brocolli, or the salad station, and other veggies and takes them over to a wok for a quick stir fry. They look for the baked items, chicken and fish, etc. but I admit, they also like the ice cream or dessert selections - not a lot, but in moderation.

My older son has lyme also, but had the rash and has not had symptoms. I'm still putting him on a protocol and probiotic for life, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. You just never know where one spirokete is hiding or for how long... I don't trust it.

My younger son, 16, did not have the discipline my older two have, nor does my younger daughter. That's why I'm hoping this experience, along with my expanded learning about nutrition will help them choose a better way of eating for life.

That's kinda what I was saying. Everyone always laughs at "how healthy we eat" compared to most of the country (like my kids always tell everyone, and my husband, that every thing we eat is green ( I slip veggies and spinach in everything I can)! So, I was baffled with all of this.

As an athlete, carbs are kinda a staple, I know. My older son is big on snacking on veggies and pretzels so he doesn't eat a lot of junk all day. He also drinks about 5-6 of those big water bottles and relies on that to try to keep him full.

LMC Mom, it sounds like your son is mostly missing "carb"-type foods. There are some alternatives you could offer on occasion. Have you tried Tinkyada pasta? It is made of just brown rice and rice bran, but you would never know it. I "cheat" with it occasionally, and it is awesome, just like regular pasta. Another thing you could try is baking paleo cookies or muffins with almond flour or coconut flour. You can find a ton of recipes on Pinterest. Almond and coconut flours are kind of expensive, but they are great for making an occasional treat.

My son, who has Lyme, is just 3. Since he's been eating differently than his peers for most of his short life, he has a pretty good attitude about it. But I am still trying to figure out what we'll do when pizza parties start happening more often.

Rowing mom, that's what I was talking about and I'm sorry your children are starting to young. It's not fair. I have raised them on "home cooking", but that does include thing he can't have now. We are all thin and very healthy in our family, but treats sure are nice...not good for you, but nice! Green 33, you are right and I have worded it that way to him - using the older two as examples where they indulge, but most is ok (I worry about the older son who has no symptoms right now, and have tried giving him an outline on food and protocol to stay that way, hoping he listens too).

Ultimately, we all make decisions and I told them I won't be around forever and I won't tell them what to do. It's their lives, I just have them for a short while and try to teach them the best way I know. They are not really MY children though, just spirits sent my way to guide and teach while young and then set free to fly on their own - while I'm praying they don't crash!

Nosila, thank you. I think it was astroman who also said Tinkyada - mentioned it was a funny name but was the best of all guten free pastas. My husband made a pizza crust and pie for my son two weeks ago - awesome crust with almonds ground up. Have to find the recipe for you, but you might already have it.

Yes, social lives of young people makes any sort of dieting hard. Like rowing mom says, even if you bring your own! :(

Traveler

One thing I do eat plenty of are avocados, I don't know where I would be without them. I have tried a wide variety of nut butters and they all flare me up. But as I said, I hope that some of my food sensitivities and GI symptoms will regress as I treat this Lyme.

I know, I used to be able to eat peanut butter by the jar. It was always my go to bedtime snack. I flare up with eggs too which also stinks. Those are two of my favorite foods.

But on the bright side, all of these sensitivities did come on along with my other symptoms, so I am rather confident/hopeful that they will go away as my treatment progresses. And hopefully the awful bloat will go away as well.

With regards to the protein powders, I currently use hemp protein powder as it was one of the few I felt safe using. I am able to get a 3 pound bag for $20 or so on Amazon. In addition to protein, it also gives me all the fiber I could ever want (which I think is a good thing?). Just a couple scoops into 4 oz of water, stir, and drink. I know some people hate the taste, but I don't mind it.

I will ask my LLND when I see him on Thursday. He just hired an assistant who is a " cured" Lyme patient of his.
I'm not on IV abx either and I have made significant progress since June.

Jimbo I know your a college student and funds are limited but it might very well be worth looking into the food allergy testing that Meridian does.
I am intolerant to all nuts but pecans and walnuts. I order pecan and walnut butter on Amazon and mix them since pecans are very oily and walnuts are very dry.
Amazon prime pantry also sells King Arthurs flours gluten free pancake mix, baking mix, muffin mix, and more. You can also buy egg replacer on Amazon.
Those items help break up the boring routine.

Spaghetti squash also works and with a sauce tastes the same as pasta.

Eventually will he be able to have cooked vegetables again? When he is on his own he may start eating crap but there is a good chance he won't like it anymore once he tries it. I moved to a farm after college and started eating all fresh vegetables we grew, fruit and meat raised on the farm. After a few weeks me and another intern went to get an ice cream cone and were shocked that we could only eat about 10 bites. We thought it was way too sweet and kinda gross and both threw ours away. I used to eat all kinds of junk but since living on a farm I really don't desire it and every time I eat junk I feel bad and think I knew this would make me feel bad why did I eat it. Once you completely quit eating junk food, when you eat it again you realize how gross it really is. Also if he can eventually eat cooked food again, there is so much you can do with vegetables. Sauté, grilled, roasted, stews, soups. I appreciate how good vegetables can taste these days. I love grilled salmon or cauliflower. Stir fries are great too. You can still do so much good stuff with just vegetables, meat and no preservatives. Also there are tons of places that make deserts with all raw natural ingredients like dates and coconut to sweeten. You can still have a very healthy diet free of sugar, preservatives and full of fresh veggies, fruits and meats and fish that tastes great. You can even make good healthier desert options.

Ya know, I think if you keep his carb intake high (consider that he is a growing boy running around) then it will cut his cravings.

That said...I have tried no carb (to the point where chewing on fennel seeds was my carby snack) and low carb and they may have killed my bad bacteria, but they also killed my good bacteria. Carbs help transport your probiotics into your colon. And if we stop feeding the bad bacteria, we may stop feeding all bacteria.

When I lessened my fear of the "bugs" I started eating a little more.

Manuka honey...I justified one tablespoon a day in the morning because of the methylgloxyl and because insulin sensitivity it best in the morning. It made me feel great. I added another tablespoon and another throughout the day. I was having at least 5 tablespoons a day.

So now I have at least 165g-200g of carbs a day and I think it is especially helpful because it is the most bio-available form of glucose and glucose is needed for cellular energy and ATP production. My thyroid levels have normalized as well. My body temperature is 98.6 at last.

Make sure he is getting enough calories. It doesn't have to be a carb-loading diet, but then increase his fat intake. Lymies don't get enough calories.