How many of you do paleo

[JFR]

Marliss,

I just borrowed the Ballantyne book from the library today. In fact I requested that the library buy the book which they did. I'll be interested to now what you think of it. I haven't started it yet.

Jean

[MBombardier]

It will be a while, Jean. That is one big book.

[JFR]

Really big. I might have to buy it if it seems worth it since I only have 2 weeks to read it.

Jean

[Chrisdat]

I have eaten Paleo for over two years, strictly. I started having autoimmune issues last year. Myasthenia Gravis was the tentative diagnosis, although I am not producing the definitive antibodies yet. So who knows?

Anyway, I started the autoimmune protocol part of Paleo. No nuts, no nightshades, no eggs, etc. Sarah Ballentyne was my guide. I did very, very well! Almost full remission.

Then I did something really, really dumb. I followed the resistant starch posts in the Paleo community. I started adding 4 tablespoons of Potato Starch (highly touted resistant starch) to my diet right before bed. Chugged it mixed in water. Had bloating, but told this would normalize in a few weeks.

Two months later, LC started, and was just recently diagnosed. I pretty sure I caused my MC/LC with this stupid experiment. Remember, I was already battling an autoimmune. I think the nightshade component of Potato Starch, along with the insolubable fiber that passes into the lower intestine, undigested - wreaked havoc with my mucosal lining.

So Paleo AIP was great. But I ruined it following a trend, instead of keeping with what was working.

[JFR]

I have eaten Paleo for over two years, strictly. I started having autoimmune issues last year. Myasthenia Gravis was the tentative diagnosis, although I am not producing the definitive antibodies yet. So who knows?

Anyway, I started the autoimmune protocol part of Paleo. No nuts, no nightshades, no eggs, etc. Sarah Ballentyne was my guide. I did very, very well! Almost full remission.

Then I did something really, really dumb. I followed the resistant starch posts in the Paleo community. I started adding 4 tablespoons of Potato Starch (highly touted resistant starch) to my diet right before bed. Chugged it mixed in water. Had bloating, but told this would normalize in a few weeks.

Two months later, LC started, and was just recently diagnosed. I pretty sure I caused my MC/LC with this stupid experiment. Remember, I was already battling an autoimmune. I think the nightshade component of Potato Starch, along with the insolubable fiber that passes into the lower intestine, undigested - wreaked havoc with my mucosal lining.

So Paleo AIP was great. But I ruined it following a trend, instead of keeping with what was working.

Thanks for this post Chris. I an wondering whether I should remove nuts and nightshades from my diet. I eat a few ounces of nuts a day and some red and yellow peppers several times a week. Other than that I seem to already be following her AIP. My guide recently has been Terry Wahls who seems to differ with Sarah Ballantyne on the nuts issue (says ok in moderation and if soaked). Other than that they seems to be enthusiastic advocates of each other. I am close to remission, no WD, but some pain and motility issues remain. I am hoping I can clear those up. Maybe I should just commit to one month of no nuts and nightshades and see how it goes.
This is always a delicate balancing act.

We have a member here, Joe, who has Myasthenia Gravis.

Jean

[Chrisdat]

JFR, I have Terry Wahls book. I really love so much of what she has to say. BUT - I think Dr. Wahls' diet would need some serious modifications for those of us with MC.
She really advocates consuming raw veggies and fruits, often in the form of a breakfast smoothie. I would be vomiting, and have lots of explosive D if I mixed in raw Kale or other greens and drank them. All my veggies and fruits at this point need to be cooked, and then many of them still cause me problems if I eat a lot (which in Dr. Wahls' diet, my term for a lot, would be hardly any in her opinion).
That said, I love her approach, her attitude, and follow closely her mitochondria research. I think for Mysthenia Gravis, or MS, or many autoimmune's she is right on. Unfortunately with digestive AI conditions, there are many caveats.
Sarah Ballentyne, is more helpful for skin and digestive AI conditions. For me, no nuts or seeds, definitely no nightshades!!!!, no yogurt or diary, no gluten-free products (no grains), no soy, no eggs, etc. So AIP in Ballentyne's book is better for me. Although she cooks with Almond flour - which I am too afraid to try.
I have NO Paleo treats. The sugar, nut flours, etc. would not be good for me.
I hope Joe with Mysthenia Gravis posts. I'd love to hear his story. Wonder if there is any correlation between MG and MC.

This is always a delicate balancing act.

So true!

Chris

[JFR]

Chris - I do not eat any fruits except blueberries which I seem to be able to tolerate and all my veggies are well cooked, no raw fruit or veggie smoothies, although yesterday I made a great drink, coconut milk with vanilla extract and cinnamon (the vanilla extract is homemade as is the coconut milk). I have only recently started eating some peppers but other than that no nightshades. Maybe I should remove them all again. I have been entirely gf, df, sf and ef for 2 years. I also don't eat beef or chicken or any grain, no baking or sweeteners. Up until recently my veggie and fruit consumption was minimal but recently I seem to be able to tolerate much larger quantities which is making Terry Wahl's protocol doable for me. I agree though her high veggie requirement makes her protocol impossible for most if not all of us with MC. So we have really similar diets it seems. I am trying to follow her Paleo Plus plan, which I was pretty close to already, just seeing how I do with the increase in veggies.

Joe does post here now and again. He used to be very active but the MG has struck him pretty hard so he doesn't come on here as much. If you do a search for myasthenia gravis you should find his posts.

Jean

[Chrisdat]

Jean, I like your coconut milk drink. Sounds yummy.
I have found with my food sensitivities I can't have too often any one thing. For example, coconut products are a staple in my diet and have kept me from losing too much more weight. But, I keep seeing coconut as a not uncommon food sensitivity in the a Paleo community. So I'm very careful to only have coconut products every couple of days. I do use MCT oil daily, (medium chain triglyceride oil, from coconut oil), as this fat is absorbed very quickly, and does not need to be digested. Coconut oil, a few times a week as a snack when I'm starving. Coconut milk in my tea, no more than every 3 days. Now I'll have to try your drink.
This just happened to me with turkey. I made SCD turkey sausage and had it very day for breakfast. Now turkey is a food sensitivity for me. If I avoid for a few months, hopefully I can add a little occasional turkey in once a week or so.
Are diets seem similar. Hope to add more veggies soon. I can't believe I am saying thus, but I miss broccoli

[JFR]

I don't seem to have a problem with eating the same thing every day. In fact when things were at their worst I found that sticking with 3 or 4 safe foods was the way to go. I use a lot of coconut oil every day and a coconut milk smoothy 4-5 times a week, no problem. It's hard to rotate foods when you are eating so few different foods. I'm glad I don't have to. Maybe as you get better you won't have to be so careful.

Jean

[ldubois7]

Hi Chris!

I'm the same as Jean. I eat so few foods that I couldn't rotate. I do rotate my 3 meats, though...just got in the habit, I guess! I eat coconut, sunflower seed butter, pecans, & potatoes everyday. I couldn't eat veggies for almost a year! Now, I've added green beans, winter/summer squashes, & carrots back into my diet with success. :)

I had to try the nuts/seeds (soaked & dehydrated, then made into nut butter) due to all my sensitivities (as you can see to the left). It's been a long road, and each of us is different in our food sensitivities. It's just less brain work for me to focus on the few foods I can eat at this point.

Good luck to you, and remember we keep adjusting as we hit some bumps in the road....that's a given for us!

[Pat N]

This Paleo thread is great! I was just diagnosed with mc 3 or 4 weeks ago triggered in a bad and terrible way by some antibiotics taken for a sinus infection in December of 2013. My primary diet since June of 2013 has been Paleo although I was hanging on to dairy in a big way until recently during this elimination diet that I'm on per this amazing website. Sarah Ballantyne's book "The Paleo Approach" is right up my alley. I got it fresh off the press 2 or 3 months ago. Am now going through it again. The frequency of my poops is down by 1/2 (from 10+ to 5 or 6, all far from Norman) and was down to 1 or 2 far from Norman for a few days during the elimination diet phase. I tried some brown rice pasta, olive oil, salt and pepper, plus basil and asparagus with ground turkey one morning. No go. Probably the rice pasta being brown rice or the basil. Who knows? I was in a flare again. I highly suspect histamines so have been taking 24 hour Allegra in the AM plus Benadryl at night. It works! I'm slowed down to around 5 poops far from Norman. Love you guys!!!! Pat N

[tex]

Probably the rice pasta being brown rice or the basil.

I believe you might be right. Brown rice seems to have too much fiber for many of us. And every time I add basil to a pasta sauce, soup, or stew, I seem to notice minor symptoms. It doesn't make me sick, but something is just not quite right, so I've stopped using it.

Have you tried corn pasta (assuming that you can tolerate corn)? I like it better than rice pasta.

You seem to be good at recognizing problems, and you're making good progress.

Tex

[Pat N]

Thanks Tex. I haven't tried corn based pasta for a long time. I'd be willing to give it a whirl.
Pat

[Toritagg]

I absolutely cannot tolerate any grains. It's literally immediately to the bathroom- rice, quinoa, etx. Even corn- gives me horrible reflux and bloating, headache, nausea etc. I used to be abme to eat a tiny bit of rice flour items as a special treat- very very randomly- but not anymore- I think I am in a flare. I also don't do fruit currently -- lots of lean meats even homemade jerky. And lots of veggies cooked.
Can't wait to get back to "normal" paleo- when I can reintroduce nuts, coconut and eggs. Hopefully soon!

[Pat N]

Hi Toritagg, I see that you're new too. Sorry you can't tolerate any grains. I didn't have any grains for the 10 months of a paleo diet previous to this recent diagnosis. Since the diagnosis of mc this month and finding my way to this amazing website, I've been trying the the recommended elimination diet found here. For me the rice seems okay for now and also potatoes. The wd has slowed considerably in frequency of trips to the bathroom. I can't tolerate anything raw, eat lots of turkey, chicken and now exploring adding bison. I did well with some cooked salmon this week. The limited vegies that I've eaten the past two+ weeks so far include zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower often with some olive oil. I do make applesauce and seem to be ok with it if I don't eat too much. Same with bananas. I added coconut and do ok. I have not stopped morning coffee although I realize that it could be a deal breaker for full remission. It was hard enough to stop the dairy. Patience helps...Pat N