Come forward EatBetterers and unite - it's the second happy healthy eating thread!

[fuzzpig]

Here's the previous thread where it all began!

EatBetterers are trying to improve the diets of ourselves and our families. No weighing, restricting, calorie counting etc - just finding joy in nourishing ourselves by making positive changes one step at a time. All welcome! :)

Also rabbit, just wanted to agree with others that this thread is absolutely NOT about banning stuff or feeling deprived or hungry. Quite the opposite in fact! We all love our food here :o

I have to say that in gradually improving my overall diet I have noticed the bad effects of certain foods - for example the occasional dose of caffeine - usually in cola form - really messes up my sleep (obviously) but also anxiety (not so obviously). I am also finally starting to really understand and accept the effect of refined sugar on my mood and energy. A lot of really milky things affect my tummy.

So I am starting to naturally desire these items less, and am therefore not eating as much. But I'm not banning them because I know what I'm like - it'll just make me crave them. Instead I try to just have some only when I reeeeally want it, and then I reeeeally enjoy it :)

Hi Everyone, I love food but after a lot of reading I am now trying to eat natural as in avoiding foods interfered with by too much processing (if that makes any sense). Food really is our bodies medicine and every cell in your body is renewed from what you put in your mouth. I think this can determine how we feel and look. I don't expect it to be easy but I will do it slowly.

Breakfast today...ground almonds, mixed seeds and mixed nuts with fresh strawberries, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of Australian honey (cause it has that lovely rich toffee taste that I love).

Lunch...fresh leaves with oak aged Caerphilly, chopped bacon and balsamic vinegar olive oil honey dressing.

Dinner...Fresh Chicken and Coconut curry with yoghurt and coriander and mint leaves.

God my mouth is watering at the thought.

I have found that as I got to late 40s that it was so much more difficult to lose weight and in fact had started to gain so am also doing this approach to hopefully lose some of that excess weight.

Wrt dc's I steam lots of veg. They get a lot of something they like and little bits of veg they don't. That way you're not cooking different meals too often (doesn't always work obv)

O and I will also add lots of peppers, leeks, apples and broccoli to the curry.

Hello all. Thought us share a change if mindset. Went to Tescos to buy Hob Nobs (was pissed off) and when I got there I decided I wanted cashew nuts instead. Still high calorie, but a better choice.

That's great Trenzalor, what do you think made the difference, was it a change in your tastes, or were you properly listening to what you really felt you wanted (rather than automatic reach for biscuits because of bad mood), or a better self-respect thing going on

I think that this may be the thread for me.
Though I think I need to be on my normal one until end of June to finish off losing weight. Then stay on here for a while to maintain it!

Dont want to permanently calorie count and have periods of hunger as a regular way of living.
And dont want to do the more extreme stuff such as 5:2 or "diets" to maintain.

Regarding cereals. I too find that they dont fill me, even porridge.
But I dont much like milk[see yogurt!], so use cereal to get the milk down me. And I used cereals for the kids too, for that reason. So they did and do their job in that respect.

Why do you feel you have to have milk Rabbit?

Sorry if I am cutting in here but Rabbit milk is not necessary for humans once they are weaned. We are the only species I think that continues to have milk BUT its not the milk that was designed for our bodies. Cows milk is designed for calves and have you seen the huge thigh bone on them? Human milk is amazing and although we know a lot of what it is made up of it is still not fully unquantifiable. You don't need to have milk or dairy products in your life if you don't want to. In fact there are a lot of people who cannot digest cows milk and it is believed to be responsible for a lot of allergies and ailments as is modern wheat. Its funny but I often wonder how many people would actually buy milk if they really thought about where it comes from ie. a cows teat. Most people shudder at the thought of having human breast milk in a cup of tea or in a bowl of cereal but are quite ok about it coming from the cows "breast". Maybe if they had pictures of cows udders producing milk on the carton people would have a reality check.
(lol).

Fuzz-chicken thighs are best, yesterday I used breasts but they tend to be drier so you need to be very careful not to over cook, whereas the thighs you can just leave!

I don't drink cow's milk. I have soya if I want to though.

sleep I listened to what my body wanted rather than what I have always fallen back on.

I'm another one who doesn't drink milk. No loss.

Thanks dame, sounds scrummy. Presumably if I left the thighs on top they would be crispy too. Mmm chicken skin.

I don't really have actual milk anymore, now that I've ditched cereal, and I don't have tea or coffee. A lot of milk in one go - say a hot chocolate :( - makes my tummy bad. That's a relatively recent thing, it's a random symptom of ME I think - often get increased sensitivity and intolerance to things, so I guess lactose could feasibly be one of them for me (along with caffeine). I love cheese though and that doesn't seem to affect me, but maybe because I don't use all that much?

The only time I even touch the milk bottle is to make a cheese sauce, or a dash in scrambled eggs or omelette.

Fuzz ...a random symptom of ME...increased sensitivity and intolerance to things... or...have you considered the possibility that the ME is actually a symptom of a combination of intolerances? You've changed your diet and recognised improvements in your health, you've reduced things like dairy and wheat and now you notice intolerances, which suggests that you may well have been intolerant all along but not known what to recognise? The milk/cheese thing is not unusual by the way, it's because of the lactose levels, some people are ok with the low levels in cheese (hard cheese in particular) relative to the levels in milk that they can't tolerate. If you were my client I'd be suggesting a (admittedly quite brutal) elimination diet to see what it tells us....just a thought , but let me know if you want to chat some more about it.

Actually Fuzz, when I think of how you are eating now, I doubt you would find an elimination diet so bad...

Thanks sleep :)

I definitely think there are things that I am intolerant to now, and I totally agree that improving my diet is helping to make me stronger, that's why I'm here :o

It's not the whole story though (sadly) - there are many physical, environmental and psychological factors involved, ranging from childhood to right before I got really sick, which I have mapped out as part of my diagnosis (at which point I was also diagnosed with POTS, which obviously complicates things further - I also believe if the POTS had been picked up on, as opposed to being brushed off throughout my teens, I wouldn't have gotten so ill :() and subsequent therapy.

I'll shut up now, as I don't want to end up feeling like I'm justifying myself having a real illness - this is NOT down to you at all, sleep, it's purely due to having a label of an illness so controversial that many people simply don't believe in it, and that risks attracting reactions from eye rolling, through accusations of laziness, to vehement hatred :( so it makes me a little jittery.

Anyway - yes, although it's not the full story, I am absolutely noticing the impact that diet is having on me, and it's been wonderful to gain a little power back over this wretched illness, and it's great to talk to you about it, sleep :)

Sorry Fuzz, I don't mean to belittle your illness or upset you and I absolutely believe that there will be many environmental and psychological factors that contribute towards the condition. Just that maybe properly identifying any food intolerances so that you can further improve your health could be useful. Are you still having therapy by the way?

Noooo sleep please don't worry, as I said it is purely that I automatically get a bit defensive because of the perception of my illness. It's not you at all - we are just viewing it from different disciplines really. :)

I have nearly finished my therapy - I had group therapy last year, and have since had a course of CBT and am nearly finished with occupational therapy. It's a multidisciplinary team at St Bart's, I'm actually seeing the lead professor next week to discuss how much things have improved! :) I will be bringing up the changes I've made to my diet, as this isn't really something they focused on, and I want to share the joy! :o

I have a quiet ambition to write a book about what I've done to help myself. It's hard though, as with this kind of illness (especially as there is such a range of symptoms, triggers and manifestations of the illness - it's an umbrella term TBH) it is very hard to not take advice in a bad way if that makes sense.

People can be quite evangelical, and it can feel like people are saying "well it worked for me/my auntie's best friend/my college roommate's brother's piano teacher's cat so if you don't do it then you aren't even TRYING to get better". I experienced this particularly with The Lightning Process, which is an eyewateringly expensive course that claims to cure people in just a few intensive days. When I was first diagnosed I had a few people helpfully recommend this - I did plenty of reading and research about it with a perfectly open mind before deciding it wasn't right for my circumstances (and I did take away some elements of it anyway), but that didn't stop people being remarkably affronted and frankly suspicious when I told them I wouldn't be doing it.

So I'd have to be very clear that it is not an "I did this, you must do it too" affair, but more of a diary I guess. Apart from anything else, you need to be in the right circumstances to try things - a couple of years ago when I was still working full time there was no way it would've made an impact compared to the sheer physical exertion of working more hours in my semi-manual job than my body could handle.

Sorry I have totally gone off on a tangent there again anyway, proper testing is something I'd consider yes.
The things I've noticed have basically been due to gradually cutting down in the bid to be more healthy overall, so the effects show up more when I have them. Sugar is definitely the biggie - having had a lot in the last week due to feeling run down with the chest infection, I was really shocked by the sudden plummet in mood - random crying, epic mood swings, the works - really feeling the link between them, rather than just being told, is very helpful in inspiring me to nourish myself more. Comes back to mindfulness I guess :)

I will be talking to DH about the sugar thing. He has really slipped too in recent years following the injury which lost him his job and sporty lifestyle, and now he's suffering the effects too, so I'd like to get him on board rather than just focusing on myself. He can no longer get away with huge bowls of cereal at bedtime!

Gawd sorry for the epic waffle

Land of milk and honey and all that. Milk stays.

A very good friend of mine has chronic fatigue. Interestingly diet is one way she can alleviate symptoms - not eradicate the illness at all - and Fuzz, I totally believe it exists and have seen its damage. Kudos for keeping going!

Off for wine...

Cows milk stays!

Sorry Rabbit maybe we have got what said wrong. You seemed to be implying that you like milk and yoghurt so people were suggesting alternatives but you have just made a bold statement that "milk stays". Bit confusing really.

Sorry meant you have implied that you don't like milk and yoghurt. Trying to cook a coconut chicken curry at the same time.

Sounds like you have a great team helping you Fuzz and I think the book sounds like a wonderful idea.

In terms of identifying intolerances, i think that Mark Hyman's ultrametabolism detox diet is very good. It involves three weeks of cutting out sugar, caffeine, alcohol, eggs (!) meat (other than lamb fillet and chicken breast), gluten, dairy, soya and corn and processed food. Basically three weeks of chicken, fish, brown rice, lentils and chickpeas . Then you reintroduce food one at a time to check for reaction. The results can be dramatic. This method of elimination is the gold standard for identifying intolerances.