Easter Experiment

I ate like "regular people" during the Easter Holidays to see if I would revert back to the way I was years before. I ate one of the best smoked hams I've ever put in my mouth along with baked macaroni-n-cheese, yeast rolls, banana pudding, and even drank sweet tea for the first time in over a decade. I had fried catfish one day, shrimp and grits one day, it was a good few days of eating. Left overs lasted a couple of days so I got a good dose of regular eating.

The results: I gained a few pounds but this wasn't about weight, it was about how it would make me feel. Here's what happened to me during the week.

- Sleep quality and quantity diminished. Got 4 hours of sleep a night on average but woke up a lot in between.
- Ears started ringing again.
- Got a sore or rash, something on the roof of my mouth hurt and bled when I brushed.
- Had urinary dribbling. Just couldn't shut off the pipe and keep it shut.
- Had sores on the cuticles on several fingers.
- Right shoulder started to hurt in a similar fashion to when I used to lift weights.
- Got a swollen parotid gland in my mouth.

These are similar issues that I had previously years ago without the inflammation, pain, and depression/anxiety issues. I imagine they would start if I kept up the poor diet. These issues may sound trivial but they are the beginning of a snowball effect from the lack of health. My GI tract was previously wrecked pretty bad and my system just can't tolerate the high acid/high sodium increased fat diet that many can handle. I wish I could, the eating was fun.

Here is what I believed happened. The "regular" diet increased unwanted bacterial growth. This was primarily Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and yeasts.

It is my opinion that Lyme alters the flora of the GI tract and increases absorption of bacteria. The increased absorption comes from unwanted pathogens (mostly bacterial debris) moving through our tight junctions. Some bacterial debris and pathogens overwhelm our immune response and enter the bloodstream. When this can't be promptly removed, oxidative stress increases and causes problems similar to tinnitus. Brain fog would be another but it comes from increase in ammonia absorption which comes from pH issues in the GI tract.

I'm back on track but ears are still ringing. It may take a bit and I'll need to increase my fiber intake.

Interesting experiment, thanks for sharing!

Fat isn’t the enemy tho. You need fat. MUFAs and omega 3 PUFAS are very healthy for you. I actually believe saturated fat is good as well. It’s the trans fats, hydrogenated fats and sugar you need to watch out for. These 3 tend to roll together as well.

Nothing wrong w a steak and vegetables for dinner, very healthy. I’d eat that over the FDAs recommendation for 7 servings of grains or whatever it is