As I mentioned a few months ago on my first anniversary of this ordeal, I have been working through a broad treatment covering changes in diet, exercise and sleep, a set of prescription medication and herbal supplements all taken on a very complicated schedule, and frequent monitoring. I remember at all times where I am in treatment and if I fail to follow it even slightly my health usually suffers soon after, though less drastically now than even a few months ago.
My treatment is generally intended to help my body fight germs and process toxins introduced by killing them off, but I did happen to get fit, slim down and lose a bunch of weight in the process, and I've received a lot of interest specifically in the changes to my diet, so I want to share that right away.
Gluten and Lactose (OUT!): I had gathered my medical history for Dr Lyme#3 prior to my first appointment. On review, he believed that germs were contributing to the variety of abdominal issues that I had been dealing with for several years, actually decades, and that those germs were thriving off of my diet that consisted heavily of gluten and lactose in the form of cereal and milk, pizza, pasta, yogurt, bread and other baked treats. It has been difficult, but gluten and lactose are out.
Alcohol (OUT!): Some of the medications Dr Lyme#3 prescribed for me explicitly warn against alcohol consumption. Also, measurements showed that my liver was having difficulties already - before starting treatments - and my liver would need to work more vigorously to process the toxins released from germs killed by medication. I had already chosen to avoid alcohol generally, but I became even more vigilant to avoid consuming any at all.
Caffeine (OUT!): Dr Lyme#3 recommended that I track my symptoms daily. As I tracked my symptoms, I noticed that I would occasionally have difficulty getting good sleep if I had caffeine in the evening or sometimes even in the late afternoon. Also, I had been dealing with heart palpitations and pain from time to time. So, to help me sleep and to cut out a possible and unnecessary cause of those heart symptoms, caffeine is out.
Sugar (REDUCE!): Dr Lyme#3 believed that some of the germs that were afflicting me were thriving on sugar, and aside from that, excessive sugars are detrimental to health. So, I minimize sugar as much as practical by skipping the sugariest of sweets: sweet drinks and soda, candy and all manner of desserts.
Nuts (OUT!): I had enjoyed nuts of all kinds for many years, but too many times since I've started treatment, I've noticed that shortly after consuming nuts, I would have either abdominal pain or heart symptoms.
Meat (IN!): As I tracked my symptoms, I noticed that I would crave meat - nearly any form of beef, chicken, pork. Sometimes, if I hadn't eaten meat for a while, my heart symptoms would start, then shortly after eating meat, they would go away. Unfortunately, meat is generally expensive and I can't really eat meat at each meal, so meat is in, but it has its limits.
Vegetables (IN!) and Fruits (IN!) and Water (IN!): I need to eat something! These are about the only things left in the supermarket that I can eat a lot of, and good news for me, they are good for health - and generally they are really inexpensive. I drink a lot of water to process and flush toxins - easily over a quart each morning for breakfast and several more cups during the day.
I have an approach that has helped me with the new diet that is heavy on fruits and vegetables. The approach centers around the Nutri-Bullet I receive a couple of years ago for Fathers' Day. The Nutri-Bullet an easy-to-use blender or "nutrient extractor" - just throw in any manner of veggies and fruits and (for me) some non-[gluten,lactose,alcohol,caffeine,sugar] liquid and water, set it spinning for a short while (maybe 15sec), then consume.
Usually, I hit the supermarket every four days or so for supplies for my Nutri-Bullet smoothies. I have five types of ingredients (favorites in bold font).
(1) Leafy vegetable: kale, lettuce, chard, Belgian endive, radicchio, green bean, brussel sprout, spinach, parsley.
(2) Starchy vegetable: carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato, turmeric root, beet.
(3) Fruit: avocado, tomato, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, banana, orange.
(4) Liquid: coconut water, coconut milk, orange juice, cranberry juice, water.
(5) Grains: (gluten-free) oatmeal, Cream of Rice.
I have tried mixing in onions garlic and hot and sweet pepper, but they didn't work out very well at all for me - tasted horrible going down and/or I felt horrible afterwards.
Recipes are available, but I prefer to pick from whatever I have available at the time, and because I view the Nutri-Bullet meal most of the time as a necessity, certainly not a luxury, I pound the smoothie to get it over with a quickly as possible. It is usually not an enjoyable experience to say the least, especially with the super tall 32oz cup I use, but it goes down in about 15-30sec and I do feel pretty good afterwards, and I load up on good foods to start the day, so that's nice. And on occasion, I will make a deliberate decision to throw down a smoothie for lunch or dinner or whenever I'm hungry, and chalk that up as another minor victory toward good health.
