Healing with nutrition
What we eat and how we digest what we eat is extremely important to heal. I used to eat very well before I showed any symptoms (I was an athlete) and never thought I would have to improve my already healthy diet even more.
Our digestive system (especially the liver, gallbladder and pancreas) gets hit hard by bacteria, viruses, parasites and stress hormones. Some of the bugs even like to stay in those organs, impairing us from properly digesting fats and proteins. If we are unable to properly digest what we eat, we will not benefit from the minerals, vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids that our bodies need to heal.
My first recommendation is to stop everything that has sugar and high starch carbohydrates. Refined sugar doesn't offer any nutrition and is highly addictive. In combination with starches you will be feeding bacteria or encouraging biofilm production where bacteria, parasites, mold and viruses hide.
I was still eating huge amounts of starch a day. For example, I ate GF bread for breakfast, brown rice for lunch and lentils for dinner....all good carbs but food for bacteria! Trying to go vegan turned out to be another mistake, at least for me. This may only apply to my case in particular, but it is important to relate. I tried a few times to start a vegan diet, and each time I would start getting sicker. As much as I believe that a plant-based diet does miracles for our bodies, in my personal case, I needed small amounts of red meat.
Here is the healing diet that I follow:
1. NO SUGAR I don't buy anything that has refined sugars or even natural sugar for the reasons explained above. I use liquid stevia leaf, monk fruit. (these are natural sweeteners that don't raise your blood sugar levels).
2. PLANT-BASED NUTRITION About 75% of my diet is vegetables, especially the green leafy ones, the cruciferous, and the bitter herbs. However, not all vegetables are good for everyone. There are some people who react adversely to vegetables high in oxalates, lectins, sulfuric compounds, acids or tannins.
3. NO GRAINS, NO STARCHES, NO LEGUMES WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS On rare occasions I eat a bowl of lentil soup or a small portion of wild rice. I also eat garbanzo beans regularly because their glycemic index is low and they are full of iron and protein. I rely on all kinds of squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, zucchini, etc) and sweet potatoes.
4. YES TO LOW SUGAR FRUITS I only eat fruits that are low in sugar but rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. Berries, pomegranate, star fruit, lemons, limes, etc. On occasion, I add small amounts of papaya, pineapple and kiwis because these fruits are rich in proteolytic enzymes that help us digest protein and fats better. Do not cook with fruits! I know the banana bread and blue berry pancakes taste great but cooked fruit turns into pure sugar.
5. SMALL AMOUNTS OF ANIMAL PROTEIN I have learnt this the hard way as I often ate huge amounts of protein. I now rely on good quality fish like wild-caught salmon, and grass-fed meat, organic eggs and chicken. Research says we don't need more than 3 to 5 ounces per meal depending on our weight.
6. NO DAIRY WITH EXCEPTIONS I stopped eating dairy long time ago. At first, I cut all dairy completely and later added small amounts of goat and sheep cheese which are easier to digest.
7. PROPER FOOD COMBINATION I'm very strict in the way I combine my foods. I don't eat foods that will create a bomb in my digestive system. If we are able to digest well, we will be able to detox more efficiently. I never combine starches with animal protein or sweet fruits with acidic fruits. Your stomach will have a hard time digesting those combinations.
6. INTERMITTENT FASTING I only eat a maximum of three good meals a day. This was a hard one for me. Raised as an athlete, I was always told to eat six meals a day and to drink protein shakes before and after training. That is a myth. Once I shifted to three good meals a day, full of vegetables, healthy fats, small amounts of protein and low sugar fruit, my digestion improved dramatically and my strength increased by 20%. If you add the right fats, you will not be hungry. Eating only three meals a day will give your digestive system time to rest and repair.
NOTE: I still restrict the amount of yeast I have, which as healthy as kombucha is, it still has yeast in, which again feeds the critters inside of you like sugar does. I also stopped all alcohol, coffee and caffeine.