Nutrition/nutrient Geek Thread
Yep, cleaning up your eating will certainly help.
You can give up ANYTHING if it actually fixes your health issues. I’m presuming you have an autoimmune condition with one of the main symptoms being inflammatory arthritis. If giving up a few things and adding in a few others meant those joints won’t throb and ache anymore - I reckon you’d be on that like the proverbial fat kid on a cupcake!
Try Kombucha, but also take some commercial probiotics - try and replenish what I can almost guarantee are very depleted gut bacteria.
Add in Bromelain and Curcumin as supplements. They’re potent antiinflams.
I am taking both every day at the moment.
Two friends of mine are on Methotrexate, thankfully Plaquenil worked for me so I didn’t have to go there - but it doesn’t stop me reducing dosages/stopping altogether! I’m more than happy to take a gazillion supplements a day, but I resent that little Plaquenil pill. One of those friends has just started on Kombucha - no negative effects so far 
Hey Erin welcome to the thread!
Sure there is some element of risk when it comes to fermentation. If you have nasty bacteria in the area and especially if the thing you are fermenting isn’t properly covered/sealed or checked for mould that bad bacteria could take over and flourish but you would have to be mighty unlucky and as LMB mentioned you really could be paranoid about anything you put in your mouth not just fermented stuff.
The pasteurised stuff wouldn’t contain any live probiotics so you would drinking it purely for the taste.
If you are interested it’s certainly worth giving a shot, just start slow and avoid gulping it down to start with.
Really should look at modifying my diet a bit more in general to exclude foods that cause inflammation but I just couldn’t give up tomato and capsicum!
So having said that consuming fermented stuff really is just the fine tweaking on top of an already clean whole foods based diet. It’s not going to perform miracles by itself.
My advice if you are open to trying something different in the hope of improved health is to give a whole foods based (no grains, processed foods, sugars, plenty of veges, meat, seafood, fruit, nuts etc and up to you on dairy, legumes) for 21-30 days and see how you feel. It’s funny that some people think it’s such a drastic step to take when really all you are doing is eating lots of “real food”
If you hate it and don’t feel any improvement nothing lost, but you might feel a change for the positive in which case it’s a very easy lifestyle to continue with.
In the meantime don’t feel guilty about tomato and capsicum unless you have a nightshade allergy.
Personally I’ve just clicked over 12 weeks without needing any visits to the doctors or medication which is pretty massive for me, I’ve even put back on a little bit of weight! 
I’m at the point where I’m not really sticking to a template as you kind of learn what does and doesn’t work for you. If anything I’ve naturally ended up something between “primal” and “perfect health diet” which as you can see of this infographic is pretty relaxed. Great thing is I don’t have to bother counting anything (calories, carbs, fats etc) I just eat to satiety.
Yep, cleaning up your eating will certainly help.
You can give up ANYTHING if it actually fixes your health issues. I’m presuming you have an autoimmune condition with one of the main symptoms being inflammatory arthritis. If giving up a few things and adding in a few others meant those joints won’t throb and ache anymore - I reckon you’d be on that like the proverbial fat kid on a cupcake!Try Kombucha, but also take some commercial probiotics - try and replenish what I can almost guarantee are very depleted gut bacteria.
Add in Bromelain and Curcumin as supplements. They’re potent antiinflams.
I am taking both every day at the moment.Two friends of mine are on Methotrexate, thankfully Plaquenil worked for me so I didn’t have to go there - but it doesn’t stop me reducing dosages/stopping altogether! I’m more than happy to take a gazillion supplements a day, but I resent that little Plaquenil pill. One of those friends has just started on Kombucha - no negative effects so far
You’re spot on, rheumatoid arthritis. And totally agree re: medication, i decided to stop taking mine just before we went to NZ in July but recently had to start taking it again cos I was getting flare up’s and bad pain in my shoulders and knee’s and the dreaded carpal tunnel started coming back! I think being really active has helped though, running, soccer, kickboxing, kung fu and snowboarding; More strength in my muscles means less strain on my joints Diet is definitely the next thing to start working on.
My advice if you are open to trying something different in the hope of improved health is to give a whole foods based (no grains, processed foods, sugars, plenty of veges, meat, seafood, fruit, nuts etc and up to you on dairy, legumes) for 21-30 days and see how you feel. It’s funny that some people think it’s such a drastic step to take when really all you are doing is eating lots of “real food”
If you hate it and don’t feel any improvement nothing lost, but you might feel a change for the positive in which case it’s a very easy lifestyle to continue with.
In the meantime don’t feel guilty about tomato and capsicum unless you have a nightshade allergy.
Personally I’ve just clicked over 12 weeks without needing any visits to the doctors or medication which is pretty massive for me, I’ve even put back on a little bit of weight! dance
I’m at the point where I’m not really sticking to a template as you kind of learn what does and doesn’t work for you. If anything I’ve naturally ended up something between “primal” and “perfect health diet” which as you can see of this infographic is pretty relaxed. Great thing is I don’t have to bother counting anything (calories, carbs, fats etc) I just eat to satiety.
Thanks for the tips. I eat pretty healthy as it is at the moment, but there’s definitely room for improvement. I’ve made a conscious effort to cut out processed food but that was pretty easy cos I didn’t eat much to begin with, lucky I’m not a fussy eater and I love vegetables. I’ve been wanting to make changes for awhile though and try something like a whole food diet but the fiance is a picky eater and my resolve gets severely challenged when I’m cooking a load of vegetables and he is cooking oven chips and garlic bread! I am determined to give it a proper try when I get back from Europe so I’ll probably be hitting you guys up for some more tips and advice I’ll probably need a health kick after my planned 6 week binge on cheese, wine, baguettes and croissants in France!
Re: legumes, I always assumed they were good due to the folate? Methotrexate is a folate antagonist so I need to take folic acid supplements while I’m on it and have always made an effort to eat more folate rich foods like lentils, spinach and silverbeet. But I also love using legumes for something different because they’re so tasty and add substance to a meal or salad. Who am I kidding, I just love food in general!!
Thanks for the tips. I eat pretty healthy as it is at the moment, but there’s definitely room for improvement.
Re: legumes, I always assumed they were good due to the folate? Methotrexate is a folate antagonist so I need to take folic acid supplements while I’m on it and have always made an effort to eat more folate rich foods like lentils, spinach and silverbeet. But I also love using legumes for something different because they’re so tasty and add substance to a meal or salad. Who am I kidding, I just love food in general!!
No worries, definitely hit us up when you’re ready to give it a shot. I also ate healthy (by that I didn’t eat junk food or drink soft drink but I ate heaps of “healthy” whole grains and low fat products which I’ve obviously changed since) so the change wasn’t that hard and the things I thought I would crave I’ve really had no issues with.
Legumes are always open for debate. They aren’t the worst thing but they also often aren’t the best choice. The main issue is nearly no one would go to the effort of properly preparing them before eating (soaking, sprouting etc) which helps to minimise one of the main negatves lectins The more research that is done the more it looks like gut health plays a major role in our overall health and lectins can be a major contributor to “leaky gut”
Personally I eat lots of green beans and snow peas (both are legumes) but do my best to avoid soy, beans, lentils other than the odd mexican dish.
As for nutrients you can get everything plus more in other foods often without the added lectins or carb load.
So once again not the worst thing in the world if legumes are the difference between trying this lifestyle out or not EAT THEM, but once you get into whole food cooking you won’t “need” them to pad out or flavour meals as you have so many other tasty healthy things to choose from.
You can read more about it here.
http://paleomagazine.com/paleo-why-legumes-are-bad
http://wellnessmama.com/2029/are-beans-healthy/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/beans-legumes-carbs/#axzz3HfFnSMFL
P.S you’ve seen me eat I also LOVE food! Made from scratch baked veges/chips are much nicer than the store bought stuff, I’d be stoked to have someone cooking great food for me!
Threads been a bit quiet lately!
Are we all in hiding? Is the looming Christmas season and all the indulgences that’ll throw at you freaking anyone out?
Got any awesome Christmassy recipes that won’t rock the boat?
I’m not sure if I’m a genius or an idiot, but the first of our Christmas Parties (yes, that we’re hosting) is on Saturday, and I’m smack dab in the middle of a detox. I’ll ensure that the majority of the meat we serve will be grassfed beasties, and there will be at least one totally clean salad, lots of sparkling mineral water so that I can actually eat something….but….hehehe…I’ll let you know after if it was a stupid move or not!
Threads been a bit quiet lately!
Are we all in hiding? Is the looming Christmas season and all the indulgences that’ll throw at you freaking anyone out?Got any awesome Christmassy recipes that won’t rock the boat?
I’m not sure if I’m a genius or an idiot, but the first of our Christmas Parties (yes, that we’re hosting) is on Saturday, and I’m smack dab in the middle of a detox. I’ll ensure that the majority of the meat we serve will be grassfed beasties, and there will be at least one totally clean salad, lots of sparkling mineral water so that I can actually eat something….but….hehehe…I’ll let you know after if it was a stupid move or not!
So how did the xmas party go LMB? Sounds like you had some really nice options that I would have put a fair dent in!
Not too much new for me to report over here. Great news is I’m over 17 weeks in a row of good health now and loving life. I’m back to my usual outdoors and active self and seemed to have hit a maintenance weight of 6kg more than when I was constantly sick which I’m happy with.
I’m also pretty relaxed with my eating as well, still mostly clean at home and lunch (back on a decent amount of safe starches now i.e white rice, rice noodles, cold potatoes) but happy to have a controlled splurge from time to time meaning I’m not overly concerned about xmas (lots of meats, seafood, veges, salads sounds great to me!)
Admittedly I’m a little concerned on how I will hold up to 5 weeks of North American style eating when I’m away. Not too concerned about body composition changes and certainly plan on trying all the local and renowned foods more that I know I’ll crave healthy/lightish meals soon than later and I can only hope the groundwork and gut repair I’ve put in over the past half a year is enough to get me through the holiday sickness free!
No holiday recipes jump to mind other than to note that Aldi currently has free range ham! It has a couple of non compliant ingredients but in the spirit of xmas I’m about to have my first taste in my lunch salad
Hey DRC!
Great to hear your health is on track
The Christmas Party 
there was good and bad…
Free range but marinated (non compliant) chicken which I didn’t eat, free range pastured pork roast with kickarse crackling, roasted grass fed beef, free range Turkey breast roast (non compliant marinade) - all of which I at Least tasted. Some borewors etc…
My big compliant green salad, a huge potato salad, few salads others brought.
And a buffet table of desserts to tempt Buddha himself! (Brought by others)
I stayed bulletproof and pure the entire party. Through people offering/cajoling/bullying me to have drinks etc.
Yay me!
But I overworked, under ate and when everyone left had a small plate of left over sugary desserts!
Boo me!
And I paid for it!
The much desired very elusive and very SLOW weight loss continued, but I felt like shit. I felt like I had a hangover the next morning. My joints were achey and my gut was NOT HAPPY.
Lesson learned.
There are some cheats that are ok for me. And some that aren’t.
Avoid desserts!
I’m having lunch with a very good friend moving permanently back to Newy under sad circumstances today (possible food dramas), having dinner at Barre before the Ballet on Sunday with friends (more likely food dramas) and having Xmas lunch with high school buddies on Sunday (definitely alcohol involved, quite possibly food dramas). So I’m thinking I need to be as good as I can possibly be every other minute, and cheat as little as possible - or it’s only me who will suffer.
North American eating…
You have reason to worry.
But if you shop fresh at the grocery store or eat at really good restaurants rather than chain food places you should be ok.
The Christmas Party
Free range but marinated (non compliant) chicken which I didn’t eat, free range pastured pork roast with kickarse crackling, roasted grass fed beef, free range Turkey breast roast (non compliant marinade) - all of which I at Least tasted. Some borewors etc…
My big compliant green salad, a huge potato salad, few salads others brought.
And a buffet table of desserts to tempt Buddha himself! (Brought by others)
Next time a little heads up would be appreciated and I’m on the next flight over! That sounds amazing what lucky guests you had!
You are obviously a lot more sensitive to “non compliant” things than I am but unless it is an allergy/intolerance try not to let the little things and slight missteps worry you as the excess cortisol (produced by stress) is likely to be more damaging than the actual “bad” food. You are in a very small percentage of people who are taking active steps to improve there health so don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Also don’t be a slave to those scales sure weigh in once every few weeks or so but your health and how you feel are more important than a number.
As for drinks I don’t touch beer at all anymore, I will still drink cider (knowing it’s loaded with sugar) but if I want a relatively guilt free option I’ve been having “norcal margaritas” or similar vodka/soda/lime mixes.
I’m glad to hear what you are doing is working though keep at it and make sure you keep working on the gut health, permeability and biome as I still think it’s been a major part of my health improvements and I’ve read a lot of reports of peoples intolerance/weight battles easing once they get on top of it.
Great work though LMB keep us posted on any updates or feasts your prepare!
North American eating…
You have reason to worry.But if you shop fresh at the grocery store or eat at really good restaurants rather than chain food places you should be ok.
Haha don’t get me wrong I’m looking forward to trying a Grimaldis pizza in Brooklyn and a burger from shake shack as well as anything the jocals of Whistler put in front of me.
As you said though I’ll very quickly be mapping out the local wholefoods and I’m actually basing days around exploring some food market days that are on while I’m there (funny how your interests change) hopefully I can stock up on some easily storeable healthier options.
Does any eat purely organic?? Ive just started on organic milk and i can really taste the difference. Im looking at getting only organic fruit, veg and meats.
Is it worth the extra coin? Or would you get the same effect just to wash and rinse all your fruit veg from the local coles/woolies?? 
Cheers!!!
I am not that big on eating organic.
I would rather just know where my meat/food comes from.
There is so many people who claim they are organic and they are not.
I know of someone who proclaims (and has been featured in SMH good food guide) as organic and they are not.
Another example is honey…. sellers can proclaim they have organic honey but what you really want is pure unadulterated… non heat treated honey!
Just cause it is organic doesn’t mean it is the best for you!
Being educated is the key IMO
^ Spot on ozgirl.
There’s “organic” and organic.
You just have to do a little bit more research, (which I have been known to be lazy of,”) to know where it really comes from.
There’s a reference somewhere on the interwebz to help work out where it’s vital, and where it’s not.
Fruits like berries absorb a lot of chemicals if they are sprayed, but others can be washed and be not that much different to organically grown fruit.
For me, getting grassfed/pastured eggs and meat is more important. I’ve found that makes more difference to reducing inflammation for me ... But everyone is different.
Ah yes! heaps
I order meat from these guys (prob only good if you are in Syd) this is their weekly newsletter.
Very good point about free range chickens!
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=16d33ec982dee7d738bcbbd2b&id=77f75405f3&e=44250f39a4