How strict are you with your lyme diet?

I think you are doing great. You have only recently started and the diet isnt easy at all. I kinda had to adopt to it slowly at first. I did feel a lot better and this is probably the ONLY reason I stuck with it.

Anyway you are allowed to cheat in very small amounts (but you didnt hear this from me). The most important thing to know is this diet is designed to starve the yeast, bacteria, restore your gut and strengthen your immune system. So dont cheat unless you know your body can handle it and certainly dont ever cheat on a week you are sick.

Ive been on this diet (and a South Beach/Paleo diet which is similar) now for years. Im sort of strict, but I do still cheat. However, when I do cheat I make sure its with things like 100% dark chocolate or high fiber fruit or small amounts of zero fat popcorn. You will slowly learn to improve the quality of your cheating, so take small steps, its worth it!

I'm finishing my second week of IV abx, and I'm getting the hang of my new diet. I was told by my doctor to avoid carbs, sugar, and of course alcohol. Even though I'm a true beer geek, I hadn't really felt like drinking for the past 2 years, so alcohol was easy to cut out. Other than that, I had (and still have) questions about the carbs and sugars, because even healthy fruits and veggies have carbs and sugars. I called my doctor to verify and they told me no to over think it. They said to avoid bread, pasta, pizza (all my favorite foods), and don't eat processed foods. Like vcast said, my doctor also said it's about yeast control, and about controlling inflammation in the body. My sister is on the candida diet for her own health issues, so she's given me tons of pointers.

To give you some specifics on my diet; I have a smoothie every morning, and the vast majority of that is kale and spinach. I also add flax seed, a little peanut butter, a banana, almond milk... maybe even blueberries and even an egg if I think I need some protein. It all looks weird and green, but it actually tastes great (like banana mostly). For lunch I eat veggies and snack on almonds. I've never been someone that ate a lot, so this is fine with me. I miss eating fruit though. Anyway, for dinner my wife cooks up a nice meat dish (baked/grilled chicken, steak, etc.), with veggies. We've replaced our baked potatoes with things like asparagus and green beans. Every once in a while I'll grab a potato chip or a bite of my wife's chocolate bar, but not often.

I've been feeling pretty good on this diet. I still have aches and pains, and bad headaches, but not too bad. On days I let myself cheat a little too much, I can feel it the next day. That helps me keep myself on track.

My doctor was very happy about my diet changes. What I got from him is what I'd tell you. You're doing better than the vast majority just by trying to help your body and by being aware of (actually thinking about) what you're eating.

Pretty strict, except I keep slipping up on the chocolate, which is bad, bc it gives me migraines. I eat a lot of smoothies, but not enough other stuff (as in "food").

Margaret

Ok, so I'm hearing that everyone is pretty strict with their food....

I know that you all are right in reducing any further damage and helping the healing process by eating better. It just bums me out because I already feel that my life has taken a complete 180. I've become a recluse health nut, where as before I was just "healthy" and very energetic. Now I feel isolated, skinny, and sick.

I've lost about 15 pounds eating "healthier." I'm 5 ft tall and 96 lbs. I'm scared to loose any more weight. I don't exercise other than housework because I have NO energy. Blerg. This is so tough. I have no idea how I'm going to get through the next year or two, or however long it takes to kill the bugs. Sorry for being a downer, I'm just feeling really frustrated today.

I know it's not healthy. I've had a really difficult time trying to figure out how to eat healthy and keep weight on. My doctor told me to eat four tablespoons of coconut oil a day, but the thought of that grosses me out!

I eat a TON of nuts and seeds and nut butters. Quinoa is a good option that I never thought of before. Isn't quinoa a carbohydrate though? My doctor told me to stay away from carbs as much as possible because of the sugar. What about brown rice and organic corn?

Thanks for your thoughts!

www.freecoconutrecipes.com/coconut_oil_recipes.htm There are a bunch of recipes using coconut oil that you might like better than straight oil. Hope it helps!

You may have lost some muscle weight too. That happened to me this year.

Somewhere, I have a chocolate pudding recipe using avocado and stevia or zylitol as the sweetener. I will hunt for it if anyone is interested. It's a lot better than it sounds!

I had someone who can't stand avocados try it once and she liked it ok.

Ok, here it is.

1/2 a ripe avocado
1 T almond butter
2 T agave syrup (I used zylitol instead) Any sweetener should work
2 T cocoa powder
1/2 cup cold water

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

I hope you like it! You could replace the water with some type of milk, such as almond milk.

I have yet to try many of the recipes on there. My daughter doesn't like coconut in any form.

Let us know what you try.

I couldn't tolerate the low carb diet, I lost so much weight. I compromised by making sure any carbohydrate I ate had a lot of fiber included. Frankly, I felt a lot better.

You really have to listen to your body. I feel it is important to add things into your diet, not take them away. Just make sure what you add is healthy and nutritious.

Any food is turned into sugar in your blood eventually. By not eating sugary or starchy foods you are avoiding a spike of sugar levels in your blood that will allow the bacteria or candida to flourish.

You simply cannot "starve" the bugs out -- because you would starve!

Eat well, enjoy what you eat and thrive!

Thanks! you guys are great. That's my first forum post ever. Moral support brings tears to my eyes, and I have a really supportive family, but it's something else coming from people who can relate.

I have tried a lot of different diets as a way to combat my problems. When I do a specific way of eating, I am very strict and don't eat off of plan. That's hard to do when you eat nothing but greens for a month. Spinach for breakfast isn't what I'd call a "breakfast of champions." It has helped me learn what I need and don't need to eat. I juiced for a month, went vegan for a month, ultra low fat for a month, I've tried quite a few different things. Now that I'm feeling better, I eat off plan and eat things I have no business eating. What I found is that specific nutrients like manganese, iodine, lithium, and copper have helped me more than anything. These are 4 things that can cause issues if they are supplemented incorrectly. I don't like to eat foods high in these elements and they were lacking in my diet. I still don't supplement them every day but I can certainly tell a difference when I take them.