Re: Wahls diet discussion
Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:33 pm
Dave, it's really encouraging to read that you're starting to see some benefits!
I've been loosely following Wahl's for about two months now. I was already dairy-free and egg-free due to intolerance to them right from birth. So that part was easy. I eased onto this diet by first just cutting out gluten and sugar. I wasn't eating much sugar to begin with, so that was not too hard. But I had about a week of gluten withdrawal that was pretty tough. My IBS kept acting up off and on for a few weeks as well, though it seems to have calmed down nicely now. Step two was getting into the habit of eating those nine cups of veggies & fruit every day. That is a challenge some days. I have been doing the kale chips every now and then and they're quite tasty, though they don't digest as well as I would like. I've been making a lot of red & rainbow chard, bok choi, lots of salads, etc. For my sulphur veggies, I recently made my first batch of cultured veggies (mostly cabbage, with lots of garlic, some carrots and zucchini), and that's been a good addition, also good for my digestion with all the non-dairy probiotics. For my coloured foods, so far it's been berries, carrots and beets, though I need to mix that up a bit more. For meat, I'm just eating a variety and trying to get non-medicated whenever possible, though it can be hard to get here sometimes. I need to start eating more fish than I am, so that's something to work on. I added liver, and started with beef liver. Bad idea, blech! lol. Next time I'll try chicken liver as I hear it's easier to tolerate. Hopefully I can make a nice paté or something. Overall, cooking is almost a workout on its own. I spend hours in the kitchen and am thankful that I'm able to do that. I also cook for my husband, but he won't eat this way, so that means making to separate sets of meals.
I'm completely gluten-free, but do allow an occasional item that may have traces of sugar. I'm also not being strict about limiting my meat as I do need my protein and fats. I'm pleased to say that I'm losing weight (much needed) and my appetite has dropped off significantly. So it becomes a battle to get enough food into me instead of having to starve myself. That's nice for a change. Most days I don't have any grains at all (there's just no room in my stomach!), but every now and then have some rice noodles or a bit of potato. I'm also having some nuts, mostly walnuts as Wahls suggests. And of course, as always I'm drinking lots and lots of water.
For supplements I'm taking magnesium, potassium, folic acid, iodine, liquid sublingual B complex (which took my B12 levels from too low to too high in two months, so I had to cut back on that a bit), D3, and cod liver oil. I'm planning to add zinc and copper next. With the high amount of greens in my diet now and also some almond milk, as well as having pseudo gout in my family history, I'm not eager to start a calcium supplement at this point.
I've ordered a tens/muscle stim unit and hope to have it by the end of the month. I didn't even realize Dr. Wahls used one as I don't have her book and just follow what I have seen from her online. I've heard of others with MS using them to help prevent muscle atrophy, and that sounds like a good idea. I also have chronic upper back pain, so I'm hoping it will help with that. I don't have much in the way of muscle weakness a this stage, but I think it is good to be prepared now and do what I can to build my strength. I'm also working out three times a week, primarily resistance training.
For whatever reason I've developed a wicked case of RLS that I cannot seem to get under control and it's destroying my sleep. My legs get crazy hot around midnight and then it's a battle to fight off the need to kick for the hours that follow. I bring ice packs to bed with me now and sleep with my legs out of the blankets, no matter how cold the room gets.
If it weren't for that I think I'd be able to say that the diet is helping my fatigue significantly. I'm still managing to do my job, but would love to be more functional! Usually folic acid gets rid of RLS for me right away, but no such luck this time around. I will not take prescription drugs for it as I feel strongly about avoiding them for as long as humanly possible. I tend to react badly to them.
The diet for me is still a work in progress, but I think it's definitely moving me in the right direction overall. Cutting out gluten was a big improvement for me and I don't want to go back to eating it again if possible. I've had IBS my whole life, so I don't expect even trying to balance my supplement intake will fix it. This was the article that initially convinced me to go gluten free shortly before being introduced to the Wahls diet. Interesting read:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/09/20/on-t ... ore-215040
I've been loosely following Wahl's for about two months now. I was already dairy-free and egg-free due to intolerance to them right from birth. So that part was easy. I eased onto this diet by first just cutting out gluten and sugar. I wasn't eating much sugar to begin with, so that was not too hard. But I had about a week of gluten withdrawal that was pretty tough. My IBS kept acting up off and on for a few weeks as well, though it seems to have calmed down nicely now. Step two was getting into the habit of eating those nine cups of veggies & fruit every day. That is a challenge some days. I have been doing the kale chips every now and then and they're quite tasty, though they don't digest as well as I would like. I've been making a lot of red & rainbow chard, bok choi, lots of salads, etc. For my sulphur veggies, I recently made my first batch of cultured veggies (mostly cabbage, with lots of garlic, some carrots and zucchini), and that's been a good addition, also good for my digestion with all the non-dairy probiotics. For my coloured foods, so far it's been berries, carrots and beets, though I need to mix that up a bit more. For meat, I'm just eating a variety and trying to get non-medicated whenever possible, though it can be hard to get here sometimes. I need to start eating more fish than I am, so that's something to work on. I added liver, and started with beef liver. Bad idea, blech! lol. Next time I'll try chicken liver as I hear it's easier to tolerate. Hopefully I can make a nice paté or something. Overall, cooking is almost a workout on its own. I spend hours in the kitchen and am thankful that I'm able to do that. I also cook for my husband, but he won't eat this way, so that means making to separate sets of meals.
I'm completely gluten-free, but do allow an occasional item that may have traces of sugar. I'm also not being strict about limiting my meat as I do need my protein and fats. I'm pleased to say that I'm losing weight (much needed) and my appetite has dropped off significantly. So it becomes a battle to get enough food into me instead of having to starve myself. That's nice for a change. Most days I don't have any grains at all (there's just no room in my stomach!), but every now and then have some rice noodles or a bit of potato. I'm also having some nuts, mostly walnuts as Wahls suggests. And of course, as always I'm drinking lots and lots of water.
For supplements I'm taking magnesium, potassium, folic acid, iodine, liquid sublingual B complex (which took my B12 levels from too low to too high in two months, so I had to cut back on that a bit), D3, and cod liver oil. I'm planning to add zinc and copper next. With the high amount of greens in my diet now and also some almond milk, as well as having pseudo gout in my family history, I'm not eager to start a calcium supplement at this point.
I've ordered a tens/muscle stim unit and hope to have it by the end of the month. I didn't even realize Dr. Wahls used one as I don't have her book and just follow what I have seen from her online. I've heard of others with MS using them to help prevent muscle atrophy, and that sounds like a good idea. I also have chronic upper back pain, so I'm hoping it will help with that. I don't have much in the way of muscle weakness a this stage, but I think it is good to be prepared now and do what I can to build my strength. I'm also working out three times a week, primarily resistance training.
For whatever reason I've developed a wicked case of RLS that I cannot seem to get under control and it's destroying my sleep. My legs get crazy hot around midnight and then it's a battle to fight off the need to kick for the hours that follow. I bring ice packs to bed with me now and sleep with my legs out of the blankets, no matter how cold the room gets.
If it weren't for that I think I'd be able to say that the diet is helping my fatigue significantly. I'm still managing to do my job, but would love to be more functional! Usually folic acid gets rid of RLS for me right away, but no such luck this time around. I will not take prescription drugs for it as I feel strongly about avoiding them for as long as humanly possible. I tend to react badly to them.
The diet for me is still a work in progress, but I think it's definitely moving me in the right direction overall. Cutting out gluten was a big improvement for me and I don't want to go back to eating it again if possible. I've had IBS my whole life, so I don't expect even trying to balance my supplement intake will fix it. This was the article that initially convinced me to go gluten free shortly before being introduced to the Wahls diet. Interesting read:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/09/20/on-t ... ore-215040