Does cleaning up your diet really help?

I haven’t changed my diet too much, just try not to eat sweets and eat more veggies. When I eat sweets, my pain definitely gets worse. My pain gets better when I eat lots of veggies and don’t eat sweets. Definitely tell a difference in pain level and brain fog.

Diet has proven very helpful for me. I think it can often be a fundamental pillar for the foundation of recovery.

I noticed a reduction in symptom severity right away when I cut out refined sugars. I was still very sick at that point, but the fact that I could get any symptom relief was huge. That made the biggest difference in regards to diet and health. Another big one was cutting out processed foods. I also don't consume alcohol, generally avoid gluten and dairy. But the two most important for me are avoiding refined sugars and processed foods. The symptom relief I had from cutting out refined sugars made it easier to stick with that diet because I could tell it helped, which motivated me to stay with it. For a long time I relied on chocolate bars and things like that as an energy boost, so initially it was hard to give up but over time I lost the craving for it.

I'm of the thinking that the more severely sick we are from this stuff, or if we have trouble recovering, it's best to hit up any angle. And diet is certainly a good angle.

I try to make sure I have healthy snacks and foods to eat around the house. Especially when I first started cutting out the refined sugars, they are quite addictive so I tried to find alternatives like nuts, fruit, cherries, etc.

Astroman has written some threads about diet and doing certain types of testing to see which foods are more inflammatory for the patient (we're all different).

Kris Rox 33 said...
Before I had Lyme cleaning up my diet affected me tremendously. I didnt stick to anything strict, just "eat less crap and more good stuff." I very seldomly eat dairy and I would regularly skip dessert or treats. I felt awesome. More energy, los weight, better sleep.

So, yeah, I'd say eating well matters, but some people dont need strict rules to do that.

Great overall starting point. But most will benefit if they go further. I did that years ago and refined to a more stricked diet today.I ve heard people say they cant stop junk food ect..........total BS. If anyone is mentally dependent on comfort foods seek help.

Ive written prob to many posts on diet. Diet makes no sense without purpose. There is NO ONE DIET for all here.

The deal is in order to see benefits you need to find what diet you need and stick to it for a while.

If it works or not depends what the purpose of the diet is. A low inflammation diet will be diff than a candida yeast diet ect. Some are only temporary.

You need to tune your diet TO YOUR NEEDS. Much more learning for most people than they thought.

I improved thyroid and one antibody from proper diet for MY body, more energy too, better skin.

I quite guessing and following fad diets and used a tested scientific approach to what my body tolerates.

Leap Oxford MRT food sensitivity test for 170 North American whole foods and additives / spices shows cytokine release levels for these. This is scientific proof, not guessing. So I now know what my body cant tolerate.

EDIT: I also started to avoid fructans (FODMAP). This part was by guessing as I added back some foods from the MRT list. HIGH fructan foods don't inflame with cytokine, but I seem to I ferment these undigestable sugars which bacteria or maybe yeast later feed on .

Post Edited (astroman) : 12/7/2018 11:44:24 AM (GMT-7)

I'm not trying to be a smartass when I say this but in pretty much any chronic illness the first advice given is to lock down your diet and exercise. So yes, I would say diet is very important. In the case of Lyme I would think it is undoubtedly important. We know sugar feeds Lyme. We know inflammation plays a huge part in our symptoms. Both of these are directly related to diet. People seem to have different triggers in which foods cause inflammatory reactions. That is where experimentation comes in.

I would argue that eating comfort foods when you aren't feeling well is not ideal; Lyme disease or not. There are many factors that make eating a healthier diet hard. In the end it comes down to willpower though. Assuming you are in America it is much easier to eat unhealthy versus healthy.

astroman said...
I also started to avoid fructans (FODMAP), since I ferment these undigestable sugars which bacteria or maybe years later feed on - this part was by guessing as I added back some foods from the MRT list. HIGH fructan foods don't inflame with cytokin, but I seem to I ferment these undigestable sugars which bacteria or maybe years later feed on .

I avoid FODMAPS, too! I've had stomach issues since before my bite, and this was the only thing that worked for me. Like you said, you can't recommend it to everyone, but if you think it would help, give it a try.

When I was first diagnosed (or was it when I was waiting to be diagnosed - can't remember) I did the GF, DF, SF diet and it didn't make a difference.


Over the past few years...I have at times implemented the GF and restricted the sugar and dairy - still no benefit that I could tell.

astroman said...

Girlie said...
When I was first diagnosed (or was it when I was waiting to be diagnosed - can't remember) I did the GF, DF, SF diet and it didn't make a difference.


Over the past few years...I have at times implemented the GF and restricted the sugar and dairy - still no benefit that I could tell.

I am somewhat blown away at your rock solid gut. LOL

If you had gut yeast- you would notice a difference from sugars and carbs though during the over growth "infection"..

Cane sugar is still inflamitory with cytokine release for almost anyone though and you cant nesseccarily feel what it does to your body.

Glutan and corn can affect hashimoto and graves, and probably other autoimmune conditions even though one might not feel "off" from digesting it.

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I don't eat much white sugar....as in candy, and baked goods....just a treat once in awhile.

But, I do eat unlimited fruit, and simple carbs (pasta, rice).

re: candida - I do take Diflucan two days a month (per Dr. J protocols) I don't see any signs at this point...my tongue isn't white....at least.
I do think though there is some overgrowth...there's gotta be with the antibiotics.

Yes

Very few alternative health tests are FDA approved, look at the lyme tests,non mentioned here are.

Food tests never will be peer reviewed as the medical community is about drugs, nothing more.

NOTE: MRT tests "healthy" whole "American" foods that can grow here, not forigen foods or veggies only native to other lands.

I heard 2nd hand about local people that found this test helpful. And found a local dietician (covered by my insurance) who uses this test. I paid for the test though. This is all part of a long term plan of mine, not just a one time deal with a dietician.

Its cytokins released from your blood, not that difficult, but never done on a large scale before. Keep in mind a bannana may have low cytokines, but can still react to any temporary yeast or bacterial overgrowth too - that is not a cytokin reaction, but still inflammatory.

My thyroid is improving a little (again)- so this test did something good. Prob from leaving out all corn (less Roundup in me now). They didnt say if the corn tested was non-GMO or "Round-Up GMO corn" though, they should disclose this. Same with other grains tested.

I think I had leaky gut for 40 years after a gut illness from a southern country and had gut issues after that .. I will not / cannot heal my gut over night. ABX made it worse of course. Seem to be lyme free though.

You only live once , I was only healthy for my first Ten years of life, so this is with $ 350 to me. I still had a complete younger life, but it was very challenging at times. Had brain fog all my school years and in college too. No more fog after 10AM.

Well, with autoimmune thyroid , I also have more to gain with a good diet than the average Joe here.

Conventional medicine does nothing to cure it, so I'm my own Guinea pig. I'm obviously going beyond lyme treatment, im not stopping till other things improve. My thyroid med went from $15 five years ago to $150 with insurance. Thats adds up fast. I found out that if I go "cash and carry" with Good RX discount cuts to $60. Shows how insc and big pharma are steeling from us.