LYME DISEASE DIET AND ITS BENEFITS
LYME DISEASE DIET
Most of the Lyme literate physicians recommend to Lyme suffers to change their eating habits and switch to a Paleo diet. What is a Paleo diet? You may have heard about it, or its benefits, but you still can’t grasp what it really means?
Basically, the Paleolithic diet is deficient of gluten, dairy and sugar, which are the main culprits for causing inflammation in the body, feeding the spirochetes or suppressing your immune system. Yeast is also something that you should avoid as well.
The Lyme Disease diet is a mix of the Paleo and Candida diets, as the second focuses more on preventing the growth of yeast within the body.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THIS LYME DIET?
The good news is that you don’t have to care about calories anymore and you can eat as much as you want! In order to maintain a good health and maintain your symptoms under control, it is important to have a healthy diet.
As the bacteria feeds on the sugar, it is crucial to avoid the consumption of sugar and all manufactured products made of it. Therefore, next time you stroll down the aisles of your grocery shop, before you put a product in your cart, please read its label.
While reading it, pay attention to the list of ingredients. If sugar is listed as one of the ingredients, you should NOT buy that product! Most of the people make the mistake of only reading the Nutrition facts, which breaks down ingredients into calories, fat, proteins, sodium, cholesterol.
WHAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST?
Keep in mind that buying organic products reduces your exposure to pesticides or genetically modified vegetables and GMO. If possible, try to consume only free-range, grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free products.
Here is a list of the things that you are allowed to eat:
- Eggs (omega-3 enriched cage free eggs)
- Fowl: chicken, turkey
- Fish, seafood, lobster
- Meat: lamb, beef, pork, veal, bison
- All vegetables excerpt corn and potatoes which have a high starch content. You could add sweet potato or yucca/yams on your list once you completed around four months on this diet. Consuming raw garlic, onions, cabbage (red and green), broccoli, turnips, kale and rutabagas has a great effect on the body, as these vegetables have the ability to inhibit the growth of Candida.
- Fruits that are low in sugar: berries, kiwi, grapefruit, avocado, lemon, watermelon, cantaloupe.
- Grains: rice (brown), quinoa, amaranth, whole wheat pasta and cereals with no sugar added, whole grain flour, Ry-Krisp, Ryvita, taco shells, tortillas. If you find yourself craving for bread, you can buy Ezekiel 4:9 bread or other types of yeast-free bread made out of sprouted grains.
- Dairy: milk and plain yogurt. Though ideally would be to switch to organic almond milk or soya milk.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds.
- Tea: organic green tea, herbal teas without “matte”, seltzer and home made fruit or vegetable juice
- Cold pressed vegetables oils: olive, walnut, macadamia, avocado, coconut
- Carob and carob products
HERE ARE 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO WHILE YOU ARE ON THE LYME DIET:
AVOID (REFINED) SUGAR
- All forms of sugar, corn and maple syrup, molasses, fructose, glucose, sucrose.
- Agave syrup,maltose, barley malt, fruit juice concentrate, evaporate sugar cane, galactose, invert sugar, lactose, liquid cane sugar, rice syrup, unrefined sugar
ELIMINATE GLUTEN
- White flour and anything done out of it.
STAY AWAY FROM ANY TYPE OF FUNGUS AND MOLDS
- Mushrooms and truffles
SAY GOODBYE TO YEAST!
- Bread and bakery products, cereals made with bakers or brewers yeast. Even sourdough bread contains yeast!
- Herbal teas (The Argentinian “mate” contains yeast!)
NO ALCOHOL AT ALL!
That includes wine and beer, not only spirits. More and more studies have proven that alcohol intake can make symptoms worse.
DON’T CONSUME:
- Sodas: root beer, ginger ale, vanilla extract, apple cider
- Canned food: spaghetti sauce, tomato juice,
- Spices or vinegar containing foods: olives, pickles, relishes, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressing. Make your own dressing , by using oil and lemon juice.
- Dried fruits
MINIMIZE THE CONSUMPTION OF:
- Chocolate
- Cold cuts (processed meats)
STOP DAIRY INTAKE:
All cheeses, buttermilk, cream and products deriving from them, fermented products including soy sauce and tofu.
REPLACE ASPARTAME / SPLENDA WITH STEVIA
It is well know that aspartame is toxic for your nervous system and that it works as an inhibitor. Therefore you should stop its intake and detoxify your body.
REMOVE gums, mint, candies, caramels from your diet and stick to it. Keep in mind that if you reintroduce them later on, you may experience significant neurological symptoms.