Have you ever changed your health through diet alone?

[PerpetuallyIndecisive]

I’m not talking about weight loss, but about changing what food you eat / when you eat / cutting things out / adding things in etc.

I have ME/CFS and it feels like my energy is getting lower and lower. My diet isn’t as good as it could be, but I do get a lot of comfort from food and am reluctant to put the time and energy (esp when I have so little) into overhauling my diet if it’s not going to make a difference. It’s also bloody confusing trying to work out how to change my diet - so much conflicting advice!

I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with changing their diet for their health - good and bad!

I think you have to be drastic to see a difference. Not like adding a kiwi before bed type of thing.
When it comes to advice, staying away from social media as a source is a good starting point. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube vs someone who teaches nutrition at a university for example .
Anyone saying you have been lied to since forever, or Big Agriculture conspiracy and so on, is another category I would remove.

I had severe arthritis as a consequence of decades of ballet, and at some point, I was in constant pain. Relief for me came with a drastic change of diet, an anti-inflammatory diet that excluded all animal food, so a VEGan diet with a strong focus on the food coming in more than the food I was excluding. VEGan with capital V E G. Whole food, enormous amounts of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, little fruit, whole grains, legumes, soya.
Many diet principles focus on the exclusions, don't eat this or that. For me, it was which food can help me.

There are of course foods I don't eat, such processed food, refined grains or refined oils, but to be honest, if you focus on the foods that needs to come in, there is little stomach space for anything else.

I drink chai tea which I make myself with cloves, cardamon, star anise, coriander seeds, cinnamon, fresh or dried ginger, ... I take curcumin in capsules but also cook with turmeric. I don't put it in the chai, because teeth will turn very yellow. I eat a lot of fibre, pre and probiotics.

I eat with purpose, is the way I would put it.

Like the above but am not vegan as my energy levels are much worse when I cut meat and fish out altogether. I have chronic fatigue from autoimmune issues and have changed my diet gradually.
I avoid anything that is processed, three quarters of my plate is vegetables.
The most inflammatory foods are: sugar, alcohol, dairy, caffeine and nightshades. I mostly drink green tea even though it has some caffeine it also has massive anti inflammatory properties and has done a lot to eliminate my arthritis pain.
my advice would be to add one good thing and remove one less good thing and when you are comfortable with that do another pairing. You will feel the improvement and it is worth it.

Yes.

The last year I've stopped drinking alcohol, no caffeine after 12:00, and (for the last 3 months) seriously reduced my UPF (less supermarket bread, no bought cakes/biscuits/crisps) and sugar (no more sugary cappuccinos, sweet treats are rare). I've tried to eat as many whole foods as possible (fruit, veg, nuts, meat, pulses) and eat limited amounts of good quality processed foods (olive oil not seed oils, greek yoghurt instead of low fat flavoured yoghurts, honey, still eat cheese but limit it). I also only eat in a 12 hour window (I've tried harsher time restricted eating but it doesn't work for me. 12 hours is do-able and stops me snacking after dinner).

I've never been a big exerciser - walking and yoga are the only things I do and yoga is not regular, so it's my diet which has changed overwhelmingly.

I sleep better, I'm less tired (no more falling asleep on the sofa in the afternoon/evening or comatose at work), I'm less anxious. I now really notice the difference if I was to have caffeine past 12/alcohol/sugar: I'm exhausted and sleep poorly. I have been having hot flushes for the last 18 months and these have stopped with the bigger, more consistent changes in my diet 3 months ago.

I have lost weight (I need to - currently in the overweight BMI category) but my main aim has to feel better about myself.

I really like the book "The Four Pillar Plan" by Dr Rangan Chatterjee which thinks about health holistically based around Food, Movement, Relaxation and Sleep. I really like the Hairy Dieter's books for recipe ideas.

I have been a comfort eater most of my life but the realisation that the treats, whether it was a glass of sauvignon blanc, a tonic, a packet of crisps, cheese and biscuits, were only making me feel better in the short term and in the long term (and even on a daily basis) were actually making me feel worse physically and emotionally has helped me change my habits. Now my comfort eating is more about eating a delicious home-cooked meal (meatballs in red wine gravy with rice and veg; sweet and sour chicken; tagliatelle with butternut swaths, spinach and goats cheese; curries; lasagne ), stashing leftovers for lunch the next day, really enjoying a selection of different fruits/veg, nuts for a snack (instead of a sad apple that's been slowly shrivelling in the fruit bowl for weeks). I personally like eating meat and don't cut out things like pasta/rice, but just think more carefully about my portion sizes and make sure there's enough veg. I have to plan with shopping and freezer stash, but doable.

I've gone low carb and it's like a switch in my head because my anxiety is so improved. I've lost weight too but the anxiety improving is way more important. Previously I would eat unhealthy foods frequently. I would have to have sweet stuff every day and could never stop at 1 or 2. My blood pressure was raised and it's now normal. My rosacea has also improved and my skin is generally better. I've had some really crappy days where everything went wrong and I can still come home eat my dinner and not drown my sorrows in bags of chocolates. I'll never go back now.

Yes but not my own… My super fit runner DP was diagnosed type 2 diabetic when we started dating, just collapsed in airport on a business trip. He lived alone, no, idea what he ate.

We moved in together and he just started eating what we eat, which is all healthy and made from scratch and includes some Eastern European food like pickles and fermented veg. Never took any medication after the first course of whatever was given to him to stabilise and never had another incident. 16 years later.

I have a number of health problems, the only one I have managed via diet is my diabetes, I brought my A1C down from 69 to 35 (my target was 38).

This was done with low carbing.

If you look up the Glucose Goddess on Instagram she has some very easy, sustainable lifestyle changes to help manage your blood sugars, which in turn really helps with energy levels. She's a biochemist and has lots of graphs and data to back up what she promotes.

Also it's boring, but staying hydrated really helps with energy too. Get a 700ml drinking bottle (the 2 litre bottles are ridiculously large!) and make sure get through it 3 times a day. Water only or water with a squirt of lemon juice. I just use lemon juice from a bottle as it's less faff than squeezing lemons!

Yes, although my diet was always fairly good. I had long covid and worked with a naturopath/nutritionist who showed me how to balance my blood sugar. When you’re fatigued it’s things like working out what time of day you have relatively more energy/time and making a batch - eg 10 boiled eggs to keep in the fridge. Small, protein filled meals.

Me.

I have Hashimotos and used to have PCOS. Like an OP said about I have to be drastic.

To feel healthy and energetic I have to eat an almost carnivore diet. I am mostly keto with a small amount of vegetables but mostly meat, eggs, fish and Greek Yoghurt.

It’s been 6 years now and I’ve never get better. If I eat too many carbs (try to have a day off) I get bad tinnitus, anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, bloating and insomnia.

My almost carnivore diet keeps all of that under control.

Like the above - no or minimal upf, no refined anything. I try for little added sugar, but will usually have a couple of biscuits or something once a week. Lots of fruit and veg - I aim for 30+ different fruits and veg a week. I intermittently fast, but have been doing that for years; switching to a low UPF diet really has made a difference for me in terms of energy levels. I used to drag myself out of bed in the mornings and fall asleep on the sofa after work. I've got pep now. I've also noticed that when I get sick it doesn't affect me as much - maybe this is how being sick is meant to be!

No, but I don’t have a chronic health condition or the motivation for a radical overhaul.

I am just realising now in my early 40s that I need to drink water and if I don’t I feel hungover. I’m also learning not to over eat because this makes me very tired and too many carbs in the evening makes me
tired as does shop bought sweet stiff. Having a later dinner or snacking in the evening also makes me more tired.

May try a small tweak at a time and see if it makes a difference.

I've low carbed on and off for 10 years and the first time was an absolute revelation. Lost 2.5stone in 3 months and was in healthy weight for the first time in my life. I went from constantly hungry to barely eating because I just didn't get hungry, didn't want sweet food anymore. Ibs symptoms vanished, acne gone, rosacea massively reduced. Head feels clearer, more energy, more 'stable' so less up and down in terms of hormones and energy. Sleep like a log.

Its difficult to maintain sometimes because we are so surrounded by processed, carby food and in some ways I still want to eat it all but it's getting easier as I get older. The first two weeks is hard but then something turns around suddenly for me and the benefits start cutting in. I do if at the same time by cutting out breakfast.

I completely cut out upf and starchy carbs this year. I lost 15kg without any calorie restriction and my weight actually went unhealthily low to a bmi of 18. I am now actively trying to build lean mass by eating more protein and doing weights even if it means eating when I am not hungry. In retrospect I would have done more weights and upped protein from the outset when changing my diet as I think I lost too much lean mass as well as fat.

Health wise I am sleeping better since the dietary changes, all aches and pains have gone. My hba1c has dropped from 38 to 34.

However I do seem to have developed reflux, probably not related to the diet but I think to peri menopause and possibly hrt. I refuse to take ppi's so I am trying to manage through diet and lifestyle measures.

Food impacts our health significantly.
If you think about a course of antibiotics for instance, we swollow a tiny pill and the impact that has on fighting infection for example - what is the food we put into our mouths doing?

Like @HugoDarracott and others I am low carb, I changed my diet after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Now in complete remission (3+yrs) plus loads of other minor ailments have disappeared; life long acne sufferer, anxiety, mild arthritis, weight etc Looking back I was on a long slow path to type 2 diabetes, so happy to have found this way of eating/life...

Not me but my dad.

He was told in his late 50s he'd have to go on statins. He decided to overhaul his diet and exercise regime. He's now late 60s and is on no medication whatsoever.

I stopped alcohol and caffeine which made me feel a lot better. My aim is to stop sugar next.

Hi PerpetuallyIndecisve :)

Yes, diet is really important for health and what we eat can help or harm in equal measures. After all our cells are made from what we eat, so with good nutrition we are able to regenerate them so they are healthier ... I know what you mean about there being so much conflicting info out there and who to believe.

I don't know if you'd be interested in this ... It's a free (til 1st Jan) online course by Dr Brooke Goldner who reversed her Lupus using supermarket foods. Her protocol works with many illnesses including yours. I think when you understand the why, then you don't become susceptible to all the "latest research" stuff bandied about in the papers. I believe she has personally helped 4,000 reverse chronic illnesses using her nutrition protocol and lifestyle changes.

She's an inspiring lady to listen to. Funny too :)

Scroll down to bottom of page and it's the option on the left. Tip click on YouTube button when it starts so you can stop and start.

Honestly, it's the best thing I ever did :) She's also got a facebook,instagram and youtube channel for snippets.

6 Steps to Reversing Disease with Supermarket Foods Webinar — Goodbye Lupus | Goodbye Autoimmune | Brooke Goldner, M.D. | Home of the Hyper-nourishment Protocol For Rapid Recovery

Good luck! :)

Yes - was always quite healthy but cancer diagnosis pushed me to look more at gut biome. Not for the cancer but for energy.

I had to come off hrt and was not tamoxifen. There's a book called the xx brain by Lisa mosconi which is really helpful and very similar to the ways Tim Spector / Michael Mosely etc suggest.

I have hypothyroidism and hypermobility (skinny type) and I struggle to maintain muscle mass.

I've been doing a mashup of everything here. I can't completely give up animal protein; thyroid people do need it as carnatine is really important for muscles and there's some sort of shenanigans that goes on there in either hyper or hypo states. But I've noticed I can't eat too much any more and certain types of meat.

It's very much the Tim Spector way but I've just not done Zoe.

I do feel better and my gut is so much better too. As many veg each day as I can and only whole grains: oats, brown rice and quinoa. Very rarely have bread but it's brown when I do.

I don't actually like lots of fruit but do eat dried prunes, dates, frozen berries and dark grapes. I've always done that though my gut was terrible in peri menopause, prunes were and absolute no no, and I reacted a lot to fodmaps and histamine foods for a long time.

Don't seem to be having that issue now <touch wood>

BUT I'm also doing more daily exercise, of all sorts, and didn't know that also helps the gut.

Apparently cutting UPF makes the the biggest impact.

If I'm honest upping protein containing plant foods has probably made the biggest actual impact for me.

I graze nuts and eat a lot of lentils and chick peas now.

I do have dairy

By he time you’ve filled your 3 plates a day with dark green vegetables, brightly coloured vegetables & fruit, pulses for protein, beans and legumes for more fibre there isn’t much room for foods with lower nutritional value

completely give up animal protein; thyroid people do need it as carnatine is really important for muscles and there's some sort of shenanigans that goes on there in either hyper or hypo states. But I've noticed I can't eat too much any more and certain types of meat.

so what happens if you don’t have a thyroid?

I drink very little now and try and avoid upf. I lost weight and feel much better in myself.

I've recently added a kiwi (with skin) a day to my diet and I swear by it - no more constipation, better sleep, not caught any of the many bugs going round right now. I think it even helps me maintain my weight as it burns belly fat (apparently).