Low Inflammation Diet

At the beginning of April I finally decided to try the Paleo diet. I wanted to focus on eating GF and dairy free. I already cut most processed foods in January and stayed away from refined sugar. I was so exhausted every day from lyme, that I did not believe I could do the work necessary to keep up with such a strict diet. Even though I had read about other people having great success with a low inflammation diet, I knew that cutting out so many food groups would involve more cooking, cleaning, and shopping.

Within 3 days I saw an immediate difference. My fatigue has gone down by at least 30%! My inflammation has gone down significantly as well. Today I sat on the floor to brush my cat and stood up smoothly and easily. I haven't been able to use my knees like that in over a year. I did not realize how much inflammation was built up in my joints... I think it creeped up on me.

What I didn't believe is that the diet actually gave me the energy to cook, clean, and shop more. I am feeling more like myself. I still have pain and fatigue, but I am happier. I have begun to look towards the future with hope and have found some of my drive again.

If you're like I was: exhausted, overwhelmed, emotionally spent, and mentally unable to do the work of switching to a diet... Give it 1 week. I read a lot about it before I tried it, and I heard people had to be on the diet for 2 months to notice a difference. I instantly found some relief. Give it a try. You are worth fighting for.

-Chris

Thank you, PeteZa! I was so afraid of giving up food that made me happy, that I didn't realize the food was literally making me so unhappy!

Hi Blueberry Muffin,

Sure! I used PDF's from this link: http://balancedbites.com/practicalpaleo/ to help me know what to buy at the grocery store. I was also gifted the book "Well Fed" by Melissa Joulwan and have found her recipes extremely helpful. Some people are a lot more strict than I am, so note that there are different styles of the Paleo diet. (Ex: cave men didn't drink coffee, so can we? It helps me stay sane, so I do!)

Breakfast: Eggs and bacon or sausage with a strawberry or a small bunch of grapes.
Lunch: Salad comprised of: kale, carrots, peppers, broccoli, oilves, nuts, avocado, meat (chicken or turkey usually) and tossed with olive oil and vinegar.
Snack: Frozen fruit smoothie with coconut milk
Dinner: 2 sides of veggies (green beans and roasted carrots) with protein (chicken, fish, beef etc.) I often make curry, stir fry, or roasted mixed veggies.

Because I'm not eating processed (packaged foods), it's important to get enough salt. It's also important to eat enough healthy fats. I cook a lot with coconut oil or olive oil. I believe I am eating more fruit than many do on Paleo. At this point (four weeks completed), I'm still trying to adapt. If an apple keeps me from eating a cupcake, then I call that a win. :)

-Chris

Nice and isn't it the truth! Been on a ketogenic diet since listening to Mercola talk about it during the Lyme Summit. Kind of paleo-ish with more healthy fats and moderate protein. NO sugar or grains what.so.ever for several weeks now.

I had been eating very healthy compared to the general pop. but now this elimination of sugar and all grains has really been wonderful.

I'd encourage you to add some fermented foods if you haven't already. Seriously SO GOOD for rebuilding your gut microbiome and also seriously delicious, too! IMO cleaning up the diet and adding in mega healthy foods is probably one of the biggest if not the biggest thing that we can do to restore our health.

I definitely agree, Tillybear! I brew my own Kombucha and try to eat plenty of fermented foods.

I was hoping dairy wouldn't effect me so I could try more of the keto recipes (I followed that diet a few years ago before I knew I had lyme). But I had some yogurt and felt terrible the next morning... I will try it one more time to see if it was just a coincidence. I'm glad to hear it's helping you!

I too would love to do the paleo diet and try to as much as I can, but GF grains settle my stomach. I am also allergic to eggs, almonds, tree nuts and peanuts so it makes finding only paleo things to eat difficult. I have lost so much weight since I got sick that at this point I dont know if it is better to just try to eat the best I can or stick to a really strict diet which really limits my calorie intake.

thank you thank you thank you

Way before I got lyme my spouse and I began doing this. We had read about how oxygen is so supportive and helpful to our bodies and that so many times people are shallow breathers, thereby restricting good air all the way down into their lungs. The bottoms of our lungs were not being used.

My caution is do not do this while driving! And to begin, it can make you a little light headed, so go gently.

/vimeo.com/105271298

Thanks, PeteZa, I'm trying it now. :D I've had trouble staying asleep throughout the night, so this could help with that too!