I study a lot of herbal medicine. It has helped keep me alive, in my teens, I conquered even a skin problem using comfrey compresses and grew a comfrey plant behind my parents house. I am using B-vitamin drops and due to recurring thrush, from using ADVAIR--[an inhaler for lungs], I know I am going to have to swish some colloidal silver in my mouth, I have never ingested colloidal silver--there can be the side affect of turning blue LOL, but have used it on skin ulcers with great success. However if the day ever came where the antibiotics failed for my leg, I would take some internally. There are books, where you can grow your own herbs, even in your apt, and just got one from the library and very pleased to have it. Our food is being adulterated. Right now, an overhaul of the lifestyle seems in order, but some of us try our best with what resources we have.
One thing I did discover, and this is going to sound really odd, is that I am allergic to MSG, or something that occurs more in processed food, and food eaten at cheaper restaurants. I made the HUGE mistake of eating some less then spicy chili, at a local restaurant and spent 4 days barfing and unable to eat but the bare minimum. When one is diabetic and has gone without food for 18 hours where water doesn't even stay down, things get scary. This used to happen all the time, now maybe once every three-four weeks, due to a slip up of some kind. Eating at a fast food restaurant means I will get very sick...it doesn't matter what it is.
Some thing people would be crying to have to eat at my house, there is no dairy in here, pizza is a foregone conclusion, and being allergic to eggs, potatoes and fish means none of those foods are in here either. Add to that, having to stay from all high fat foods-- so I am not barfing my guts out means a pretty rigid diet, but I do like to make tasty vegetable soups. This means having to cook everything from scratch though I can get the occasional Japanese noodles that are pre-made and a certain brand of vegetarian stir fry sauce with no MSG or fish sauce added to it.
The doctors say severe IBS, I made the decision to forgo a colonoscopy for now. Other possibilities are Crohn's or maybe even gall bladder disease but all the the pain is far lower down. In my case because of other health problems, any surgery has a very high death risk, this means I have to do what I can, to maintain my life. In other words, I have to weight the risks and do my best. I did have a blood occult test to make sure I was NOT bleeding inside and that was negative. What is odd is I can go from normal for even couple weeks, to full blown feeling like I am going to die. The fatigue is bad when the bowel stuff hits too. For years I have had serious food allergies, that have gone way beyond that of normal people and even tried a celiac gluten free diet for an entire year to see if that would help my problems and it did not. If any of my readers have suffered anything like this, please share.
One thing I am doing is switch more to organic food. I can't eat processed so this has been a natural outcome. All I can tell you is that it tastes FAR FAR SUPERIOR, I do not know why, but it does. Eating spaghetti sauce I have had reactions, but a can of organic tomato sauce is far better. The organic chicken has such superior taste, I ate some chicken burgers last night I made with ground organic chicken, I can't even explain how much better they are. This stuff costs money but wanting to stay alive is a great motivator.
I wish I could afford a 100% organic diet, but food allergies and more are pushing me into a different way of life via necessity. It takes work to eat this way, I have to plan every meal carefully, eating out for me is dangerous so often prepackage sandwiches and fruits for any trip where a meal would be required.
This is a very interesting article that deals with that issue, the affordability and availability of fresh and good food. I have realized where I live most of the restaurants except the most expensive ones, and one good Chinese one, where they use no MSG, that the quality of the food is negotiable. One thing I have noticed is acquiring good food, especially in the ready-made markets is near impossible. Some towns are more fortunate and have health food stores and better resources. We do have some good fruit and veggie markets which is a blessing.
Whole Paycheck and Organic Food Deserts: The Challenge
I live in Germany, where processed food is priced the same as whole food, or higher, so it makes sense to eat from scratch. So I've been eating a diet of unprocessed food for quite a while. My partner brought home some Pop Tarts and I had two. Half an hour later, I was stretched out on the couch, feeling ill. I kid you not, I had almost the same reaction as when contrast dye was accidentally injected into my tissues. I don't know what they put in processed foods, but it's not good.
ReplyDeleteFood in America is poor quality and getting worse. If you can afford organic food you are far better off but even that is limited. I try to supplement the diet with farmer's markets, and we have a large grocery store that does stock some organics, but it is tough. I became allergic to MSG and throw up if I eat a lot of processed foods. I am glad your prices are more equal. Here the processed stuff is CHEAP and the GOOD stuff, is VERY EXPENSIVE. I am very low income so the food thing is getting tougher. Sometimes dread when husband comes up to me and says "What are we going to eat?" if the frig is low and the funds are low for a complete shopping trip. Yeah Pop Tarts are gross, so full of chemicals, I can't believe they want parents here to feed those to kids for breakfast, there are no true nutrients in them, outside maybe some sprayed in synthetic vitamins, and they are mostly sugar.
ReplyDeleteFor a poptart alternative, I eat unfrosted Nature's Path Organic Toaster Pastries. They're healthier and don't set off my tummy. Even my hubby is into eating them now instead of pop-tarts. You can order them on the web.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you tried the Celiac diet for a year and it didn't help. I'm not really surprised... I think many people try to push that Dx on others anytime that they hear the person has IBS, but Celiac is often not the culprit.
The elimination diet is the way to go to figure out what really sets you off, and what doesn't. My goal is to eat a diet that keeps my tummy happy - whatever it takes. I'm on what I call "the anti-inflammatory diet". This means no salads for me :( which bums me out, but I can't handle the fatigue that comes from a bad tummy, or the constant painful bathroom trips.
My tummy still wigs out on its own for no reason, or over emotional upset, but at least I know better what to eat to keep it from being set off. I don't throw up, but my system completely empties out whenever it's upset - and not in a good way, and then I've got to eat again, or I feel like I'm going to faint. Fun times.
It turns out, I can handle dairy, I just can't handle cream - so no sour cream either, but plain yogurt makes a great substitute. I stir up some yogurt and ketchup to make a sauce for hamburgers, and you'd swear I used mayo.
There are lots of recipes on the web for cooking with yogurt too. It's wonderful to use in coleslaw.. I just made a pasta sauce with yogurt, parmesan cheese and lemon zest, and it made a delicious fettuccine alfredo. The best yogurt to cook with is Strauss Greek yogurt, because it's so thick, you don't need to put it through a sieve or thicken it.
I've discovered that my body loves cheese, which is a good source of protein and calcium. I know it's fattening, but I think the nutritious pay-off is worth it. My philosophy is just don't eat too much at once.
When I say "tummy", I mean digestive tract, btw. I've had problems with mine my whole life. Sourdough bread is the best for it, I've found, and it always responds well to steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. I try to eat organic as much as possible too. I can go on all day about this topic so I better stop for now. - chakradancer