Diet, sugar and wheat in CFS

[static]

I've drastically reduced my sugar intake. I find that it helps me feel less anxious and jumpy, but it does nothing for my fatigue. It may even have worsened it, tho it's hard to tell if I'm simply going through a slightly worse period or if the very-limited sugar has anything to do with it.

[ldg]

Yes dukey, since the "experts" have been telling people not to eat saturated fat heart disease has gone up not down and there is more obesity. Sometimes I add coconut or olive oil to my food, don't do dairy myself. People on the Pritikin diet years ago had problems because of the no fat rule.

And yes Static, it's hard to tell what effect anything has because for me my energy goes up and down all day long. More often though I feel normal at night time, real crap in the afternoons. But overall I feel a lot better each year than the preceding year.

IMO refined sugar is just pointless, empty calories as they say. I do like fruit though but it's not filling and I'd rather not spend any more energy in the kitchen, so I try to eat nutrient dense food.

[Velcrometer]

Less sugar definitely helps & I can't have gluten. Didn't know that for the first 20 years of CFS, sure wish I had. Finally got tested for EVERYTHING almost a year ago with the Alcat food intolerance test. It's the best thing I've done out of ALL the dozens of doctors & tests (that & changing my thyroid meds from levothyroxine to Nature-Throid). I don't have to guess what foods make my symptoms worse anymore. Out of 150 common foods I have an intolerance for 65, that's a lot. Even the person I spoke to at the lab said most people with this problem test at 30-40. I highly recommend getting tested. It took me years to figure out that what I was eating was having any effect at all on my extreme fatigue, brain fog, pain, crying, etc.

[lili2701]

hello everyone,

i live in belgium and came accross a website of a woman who suffered from fybromyalgia back in the 90 and then had a cancer of the colon and then colitis ulcerative or sthg, cant remember the word in english. anyway, she made a lot of research through the years and healed herself eating differently. she then wrote different books about candidiasis, dysbiosis, sugar etc. I recently have bought a book on intestinal dysbiosis which explains how to get rid of candidas and parasites and how to stop the vicious circle of dysbiosis.
i think a great percentage of cfs patients do have pathogen bacterias invading their intestinal tract, these feed themselves on carbs and sugar and free toxins that pass onto the blood as the intestine walls are damaged, these toxins attacks the bodys liver, kidney etc, the liver which deals with toxins is overbusy and cant do its job properly, the immune system is lowered and the nervous system goes blank.
anyway, the lutz diet which tolerates a small amount of carbs every day or the specific carb diet can help heal the gut by eating exclusively proteins and lipids and vegetables, organic if possible and of good quality. this diet has helped heal thousands of people for cronhs disease for ex or for candidiasis.
the problem with sugar and even whole grain carbs is also that we always want more of them, the less we eat it, the less we want it or need it. i tried the diet but went too fast in the process because before that i almost ate exclusively carbs and then all of a sudden went on a zero carb diet. the results were that i felt i didnt need carbs anymore after a few horrible days of cause cos theres always a severing phase but after a few days i started feeling even more exhausted and couldnt climb stairs for ex cos had no strength in my muscles. i understood it was too drastic, i then eat a small amount of carbs now.
but apparently there are other things to take into account like which blood type you are (O eat more meat, A are vegetarians etc) then u have food allergies to take into account and also sylicate sensitivities etc..

there uu go, i think all cfs patient should also adapt a diet to their own profile and this thanks to a specialist who knows the subject thouroughly. parallel to this, taking into account the deep meaning of the illness is,according to me, the most important part.

[billoddie]

Correct. DO not eat ANY wheat, sugar or dairy. Keep high protein, low carb. Sat fat is fine.

[mnorton]

I have cut out wheat and most of the excruciating pain has gone. i still hurt when tired but life is so much easier when not constantly aching and sore. also still have all cf symptoms but fibromyalgia is better. I have tried cutting out most things and this is the only thing that has worked. it was not carbs but wheat. i still eat other carbs and wheat free pasta and things. It is a nightmare as easy quick eating seems to revolve around wheat but i tend to live on rice crackers, wheat free muesli bars, canned soups for that emergency eating when i have to eat but really cannot bring myself to eat anything. i must admit most wheat free alternatives are pretty horrible but you can eat potatoes and other carbs and it is a bit easy. when i am so tired i could care less what something tastes like - just need to eat as i crash badly when don't eat for too long.