I Eat Sugar

Hey all,

I am a recovering Lyme patient.

For the past two years I've done the craziest thing - upped my carbs *gasp*

I tried the low carb thing. I was proud of how dilligent I was with my FODMAPS-ketogenic-autoimmune-Wahls-Paleo-and-so-forth-diet.

After two years of low-carbing, my Lyme was more manageable as long as I didn't come off of my anti-microbials.

But that was the problem - I was too weak to come off my antimicrobials. I became hypothyroid and my body temperature dropped.

I decided - after tumultuous research - that starving my "bugs" was starving me, too. My journey back to carbs began.

I TRY to get carbs in. 300 grams per day, and 70% of my diet. Carbs. I feel great, I weight-train (if I don't I would NOT eat this many carbs), and overall I feel normal.

Every few months I check my blood using darkfield microscopy. My blood USUALLY looks clear of infection. SOMETIMES there appears to be infection present, but I'd never know it. I take my antimicrobials again for a few weeks, but continue on with my life without interruption.

I acknowledge that:
- I am not cured of Lyme
- and some people would think it's absurd that I don't just starve it of carbs, sacrificing my thyroid/energy/temperature regulation/etc for the sake of eradicating Lyme once and for all and being "cured."
- But I DID that, for years*

What I care about is my quality of life. If I feel like I'm dying...I probably am. If I feel pumped and alive and am dancing around and singing because I have so much flippin energy - despite having what I gather is biofilm that may rupture now and again when I have partied to much or slept too little - then I'm pretttty sure I'm living, and my longevity is increasing, too.

I'm one person. I used to think carbs were the devil and I told myself this for years. But I was bias, I was scared, I was blaming my crummy feelings on my diet, which was pretty wholesome to begin with. Please, is there ANYONE OUT THERE who can relate? Is there anyone who truly gave carbs a shot and are sure that they made you worse?

very interesting! I never really had any issues with eating carbs when i was very sick, however, now that I have candida issues, I do. I will go months where it isn't a problem, and then boom - halloween will come, I will eat too much candy, and then get sick the next day - when I say get sick, I mean feel fatigued and sore. Otherwise, I have been exercising too and doing great - so glad to hear, do what you gotta do to feel good! maybe you are just at the point where you don't need to limit the carbs as much.

The sicker I became the less sugar my body could tolerate. I believe this actually had less to do with Lyme and more to do with the ABXs I was on and the nearly uncontrollable Candida attacks I was getting. The sugars and carbs fed the Candida which felt far worse than the Lyme itself.

Once I became healthier, I reintroduced carbs and even some unprocessed naturals sugars and I was fine. The key for me was a massive amount of probiotics and restoring the gut. After this my diet returned to normal.

Chapelle, you're right - maybe I'm at the point where it just isn't as dangerous for me to up my carbs. I was at a point where I was ready to get off my antimicrobials - but every time I tried I'd relapse. So it was good timing, because when my infection was at a low point, that's when I went at it with the carbs.

I have a glass of OJ in the morning. I stew a bunch of fruit (mangoes, peaches, cherries, blueberries, whatever) in a pan as a part of breakfast. I eat manuka honey by the tablespoon full. And I eat chocolate. I don't eat wheat, I eat very little rice, but I eat lots of root vegetables.

And Vcast, candida is a good thing to consider as well. I decided against ABX when making my Lyme protocol because I had a bad experience with ABX years before (pretty sure it was C. difficile and my gut was mangled for years). If ABX eradicate the flora your body spent a life time hosting, it can cause problems. Whatever bacteria is in there, it's going to want to eat. If it's all bad, because antibiotics have wiped everything out, I wouldn't be to keen on "feeding" them anything, either. This is why I don't recommend long term antibiotic use.

There are some decent probiotics though. I had strep last year and took zithromax reluctantly. I also went nuts with "Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics" and didn't experience any gut issues in those five days or thereafter.

My diet isn't considered "Lyme friendly", and never has been. I did use all kinds of restrictive diets while trying to heal my adrenals and thyroid. For me, none of it made any difference, other than how miserable I was with the lack of food choices - and I quit eating. Sorry, I am unusual as in I really don't like food. I eat because I have to - it might be due to the gastro issues I've lived with all my life?

Anyway, I always feel better on less carbs, but I need carbs and grains in my diet or I feel worse. I am careful with my choices of carbs though - brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and lots and lots of vegetables. I don't but rarely eat bread and a few other things that would be still considered healthy, but that's because of a soy allergy that prevents me from even having soy oil - and most all regular store bought breads (and so much more!!) contain soy oil.

I have eliminated sugar from my life a long time ago, simply because it really irritates my gastro tract. It's never healed to the point I could tolerate sugar, fructose, or any other sweetener other than pure stevia even when I was healed from these infections. But I'm okay with that.

Hi all,

Good discussions on sugar, thanks....but

I am going crazy by the discussions of a little sugar is ok (37 mg per Heart Association) or now the information/propaganda (?) that sugar is one of the most evil drugs in our life? I am a 60s baby, grew up with sugar and consumed alot, over the top stupid of pouring more sugar into my sugary Lucky charms, Sugar Crisp, ugh anything. In the 60s sugar was good for you, it was good, gallons of koolaid. We were just cut out fat at that time (70s).

I can see by discussions that the sugar topic creates a lot of discussion. I have read a number of posts, all great information!!! Thank you.

On the Candida diet I was not to have any sugar in any form at all. If I was desperate there were a few berries I could eat. Like a few discussions, I really fought to not eat sugar, I lost 20 lbs at the lowest and felt like I was going to die. I am skinny as it is and the diet took be to what I weighed in 1976 in high school. So I cannot afford to lose anymore weight.

I use a little sugar as possible, and still consume 20-30 mg a day. It is in everything. In the past (before major lyme symptoms) it would be a couple of cokes a day and ice cream...which now I am repulsed by sugar (ha, i talk big but I sink in my sugar still)

I'll try to cut to the chase...

So, all the recent propaganda on sugar, is it true? Is there a reason to believe sugar causes cancer? That sugar is behind multiple chronic diseases?

Maybe I need to quit watching documentaries. I watched a show called "sugar coated" and another call "Feed Up" which my LLMD told me to watch. It was on amazon or netflix.

So these movies bring in politics, science, studies, data and everything else into the mix. So I Dont want to cloud the issue, this is about just sugar, but is there a valid case made for sugar being the leading cause for cancer, obesity, and other issues?

Yes, sugar has been in our human lives for 1000s of years. What I understand that is ok, body process it fine. But they say that a large intake of sugar causes a Tsunami effect that overwhelms the liver to just produce fat. Our bodies were not made for a high dosage (soda or fruit jucies) that flood the body.

If this is true, why would I consume nothing but the minimal amount or if possible no amount of sugar which medicine is finding that to much sugar will lead to other diseases in the body? Therefore not a good thing while fighting lymes too.

Also I cannot move much. I go from Bed to the recliner back to Bed, so no exercise. Not able to burn carbs.

Appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks Girlie, that helps to know !

Carbs....I agree.

Millet bread
Gluten free pancake mix
Certain fruits
Pure cocoa chocolate (sometimes..very small servings)
Brown rice pasta

once or twice per week a "cheat meal",typical eating out type food,however,I find myself keeping close to paleo anyway?

r

I agree with P. Everyone's body is different. However, your body needs carbs for energy. In the absence of carbs, your body will use protein and fat for energy. We need carbs that provide fiber, vitamins, calcium, your b vitamins, etc.

Too low carbs will drive the body into ketosis. Ketosis can cause headaches, weakness, nausea, dehydration, dizziness...all kinds of symptoms we want to avoid. I know for medical reasons such as with cancer patients, they are sometimes placed on a ketonic diet.

For me, I can tell the difference if I don't have a enough carbs in my diet. When I first started working with a nutritionist, she told me, you must not deprive your body of carbs. Your body needs those to make energy. And I'm going to tell you, for me, she was so right. My carbs are primarily fruits and sweet potatoes. Sometimes legumes. I can no longer do white potatoes. But my body will readily reject any type of sugary junk product, such as ice cream, soda, cookies, etc.

Girlie.....all this talk about pancakes...mmmm,lol.

going to try that in the morn)

r

Per the low carb dietician website:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for minimum carbohydrate intake, as set by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board, is 130 grams per day. This is the level which dietitians are taught to instruct people never to go below "in order to maintain brain function."

Scubaboy it sounds like you may need to do more smoothies for now. This will allow for ease on the esophagus and the gut. Do make sure that you use a blending process that maintains the nutrients of the veggies and fruits that your body needs.

reminder said...
Girlie.....all this talk about pancakes...mmmm,lol.

going to try that in the morn)

r

Instead of pancakes, I make gluten-free crepes. (only on holidays - xmas, easter, etc) - and I buy frozen organic strawberries and blueberries...I heat them up and add a little bit of sugar (not necessary if you don't want), and let them cool while I make the crepes. I also whip organic cream.

Then just put the fruit on the crepe, fold it...or roll it, with a dollop of whipped cream - they are so good!

I also make soft-boiled eggs with it...so there's more protein with the breakfast.