This is a new discovery. Found this cookbook by Sandra Ramacher, an Aussie, in the bookshop a few months ago and have been cooking up a storm since. Great recipes, great photos. Click on the title for this blog to go straight to the website.
It follows the Specific Carbohydrate diet by Elaine Gottshall published in her book 'Breaking the Viscious Cycle' and explained on her website.
Go to Sandra's Website for heaps of great info & recipes and you can order the book there if you want it.
The recipes follow basically the same diet as our 'Food for Thought Regimen' by Phillip Day. The actual Specific Carbohydrate Diet sounds similar to the Anti Candida Dietary Regimen.
Often CFS sufferers also develop Intolerance to gluten, Colitis, Crohn's or IBS so it is very appropriate. Great book for family to have on the shelf for when you come to visit or if they're cooking you a meal.
Showing posts with label Low GI Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Low GI Diet. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Diets that have changed our lives.
1. Gerald Green's The Anti Candida Dietary Regimen formulated by Nikki Zalewksi . (We found this in a little book called the ABC's of Disease by Phillip Day a medical researcher from Britain. We heard him speak and bought the book at the seminar. (Both these links are to Phillip Day's website www.credence.org . We would honestly recommend all of their publications. Not all that well edited but great life-changing info for people with chronic illness, allergies, cancer, or people who want to avoid them.)
The diet is basically - absolutely no yeast, no sugar(including sugary vegies such as root vegetables) no lactose, no gluten. Avoid most processed foods especially processed meats.
This diet made the most significant difference to our health. At the height of our CFS we both had live blood testing on the advice of a Naturopath. In both our cases we had ridiculous numbers of Candida Albicans in our blood stream.
This is a damaging fungi present in everyone's gut but out of control in many people because of our high carbohydrate western diet. It gets into the bloodstream through a tiny perforation in the bowel one day, then multiplies in the bloodstream depending on how healthy or unhealthy you are. Apparently 70% of people in Western civilization would have it in their bloodstream to some degree. Look at your tongue in the mirror. Does it have a white coating? This is a sign of Candida Albicans - often known as Thrush.
When we found the Anti Candida Diet we thought 'we need this'. (Craig's tongue was completely white and slimy to the tip, Lauren's was white but not so slimy to the tip) So we tried it.
At first we thought what DO we eat? It looked like the ultimate alfalfa diet but that was because we didn't know much about using nuts & seeds for cooking at that point. But we were diligent and prepared to do anything because we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. We threw out everything in our pantry that didn't suit the diet.
Craig was not working at the time but living on the lounge and Lauren was working full time. We had no children so we could experiment with cooking on ourselves. Lauren did most of the cooking and Craig admits he never would have done it if he didn't have a crazy and desperate wife who is prepared to try new ideas. Lauren admits she would have given up very quickly if she didn't have a husband with great consistency and follow through.
The diet suggested 3 months. We did it for 12 months with no breaks. The difference in our lives was so worthwhile and it created some awesome habits which we now consider 'normal' and can't believe we ever didn't. After that we began to relax a little and moved onto the Food For Thought Lifestyle Regimen by Philip Day. We basically live by that now (Except when Lauren has given in to sugar cravings while pregnant.)
The diet is basically - absolutely no yeast, no sugar(including sugary vegies such as root vegetables) no lactose, no gluten. Avoid most processed foods especially processed meats.
This diet made the most significant difference to our health. At the height of our CFS we both had live blood testing on the advice of a Naturopath. In both our cases we had ridiculous numbers of Candida Albicans in our blood stream.
This is a damaging fungi present in everyone's gut but out of control in many people because of our high carbohydrate western diet. It gets into the bloodstream through a tiny perforation in the bowel one day, then multiplies in the bloodstream depending on how healthy or unhealthy you are. Apparently 70% of people in Western civilization would have it in their bloodstream to some degree. Look at your tongue in the mirror. Does it have a white coating? This is a sign of Candida Albicans - often known as Thrush.
When we found the Anti Candida Diet we thought 'we need this'. (Craig's tongue was completely white and slimy to the tip, Lauren's was white but not so slimy to the tip) So we tried it.
At first we thought what DO we eat? It looked like the ultimate alfalfa diet but that was because we didn't know much about using nuts & seeds for cooking at that point. But we were diligent and prepared to do anything because we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. We threw out everything in our pantry that didn't suit the diet.
Craig was not working at the time but living on the lounge and Lauren was working full time. We had no children so we could experiment with cooking on ourselves. Lauren did most of the cooking and Craig admits he never would have done it if he didn't have a crazy and desperate wife who is prepared to try new ideas. Lauren admits she would have given up very quickly if she didn't have a husband with great consistency and follow through.
The diet suggested 3 months. We did it for 12 months with no breaks. The difference in our lives was so worthwhile and it created some awesome habits which we now consider 'normal' and can't believe we ever didn't. After that we began to relax a little and moved onto the Food For Thought Lifestyle Regimen by Philip Day. We basically live by that now (Except when Lauren has given in to sugar cravings while pregnant.)
Diet Consistency - Try it. It works.
Over the 9 years one or both of us have been CFS suffers we've tried a number of different approaches to diet. Certain things have worked well. Others haven't. One thing is certain. Unless you, the sufferer, can call the shots & have a will of iron or be supported by a cook dedicated to improving your health, it is hard going.
Our culture and society in general does not support the kind of diet you really need to follow as a sufferer of CFS with all it's side affects. Although in 9 years things have improved.
When you make a complete change to the way you eat, most people think you are a 'wierdo' despite seeing you flourish. People will tell you you're crazy or a fundamentalist, offer absolutely no support and stop inviting you for dinner because it is too hard to cook for you. Or they will ask you about it non-stop because they can't get over how different it is. Or they will try to find every processed, pre-packaged, 'easy' version of the diet - This is particularly a problem with 'Low GI' diets. Some will even become an expert on it & drive you insane with their over informed advice that they would never see reason to follow themselves.
Few people will embrace a complete lifestyle change just to help you (or themselves). It is too hard. We've talked with husbands & wives whose spouse has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In most cases when it is only one person who has the 'problem' it is only one person who has the 'special diet'.
This makes it so hard on the sufferer to be consistent and this is what is needed. They feel unsupported so they give up often. They also get tired (and there is not room for more tiredness) being the one responsible for their diet and lose motivation easily. Starting again is always hard going so they sometimes don't.
The people who we know who've had success are couples or families who have all made the change (when at home) to willingly support and accomodate the CFS sufferer. They have all read the information, gone together to appointments with Naturopaths and nutritionists. They have all eaten the same food and the wrong foods are no longer in the house. They all have a common purpose. To help the one with CFS get well because it would help everyone if they were well.
As a side effect they usually they all see improvements in their own health because the diets for CFS sufferers do promote health.
Our culture and society in general does not support the kind of diet you really need to follow as a sufferer of CFS with all it's side affects. Although in 9 years things have improved.
When you make a complete change to the way you eat, most people think you are a 'wierdo' despite seeing you flourish. People will tell you you're crazy or a fundamentalist, offer absolutely no support and stop inviting you for dinner because it is too hard to cook for you. Or they will ask you about it non-stop because they can't get over how different it is. Or they will try to find every processed, pre-packaged, 'easy' version of the diet - This is particularly a problem with 'Low GI' diets. Some will even become an expert on it & drive you insane with their over informed advice that they would never see reason to follow themselves.
Few people will embrace a complete lifestyle change just to help you (or themselves). It is too hard. We've talked with husbands & wives whose spouse has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In most cases when it is only one person who has the 'problem' it is only one person who has the 'special diet'.
This makes it so hard on the sufferer to be consistent and this is what is needed. They feel unsupported so they give up often. They also get tired (and there is not room for more tiredness) being the one responsible for their diet and lose motivation easily. Starting again is always hard going so they sometimes don't.
The people who we know who've had success are couples or families who have all made the change (when at home) to willingly support and accomodate the CFS sufferer. They have all read the information, gone together to appointments with Naturopaths and nutritionists. They have all eaten the same food and the wrong foods are no longer in the house. They all have a common purpose. To help the one with CFS get well because it would help everyone if they were well.
As a side effect they usually they all see improvements in their own health because the diets for CFS sufferers do promote health.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
