For 9 weeks, since diagnosis of RA I've treated my body like a temple and fed it organic fruit and veg, cut out sugar and caffeine and alcohol and dairy. Not eaten gluten or bread.
And today I craved pizza. Just a small shop bought pizza but I ate it in nano seconds and I bet tomorrow I will suffer because of it. Fat, cheese, tomatoes, pepperoni and god knows what chemicals but it tasted sooo good. Everyone must slip up from time to time right?
I'm Celiac and gluten free has made no difference to me except financially as bread costs more ! I think all things in moderation and how an autoimmune disease can be affected by diet well sorry I just don't buy that. I think that it's more about not being overweight and getting enough exercise. I take LEF and am in remission. I grew up eating homegrown stuff and do grow a bit still, but still have RA. So whilst your post made me laugh why do you think you'll pay tomorrow for just a bit of pizza? Do whatever suits you and enjoy life without guilt is my mantra these days. Oh and chocolate and fudge qualify as health foods in my book as eating Galaxy does make me feel better on the odd occasion. lol x
Surely chocolate comes from beans so is one of your 5 a day!!
I make a good cinder toffee too. As its made with golden syrup and sugar from the cane it might just do too. lol
I'd add all my own teeth at 64 and go regularly to the dentist with no issues there either. Might be lucky but do believe all things in moderation. Now off for coffee and a biscuit. lol xx
Progress not perfection - we're human, and that's all we can ask of ourselves.
Hi Jules13,
You are only human. Just get back on the "Wagon" of a health diet tomorrow. I am convinced that changing my diet has been a big part of getting to drug free remission, but I am far from perfect for a variety of reasons. These include the cost of fresh organic food and the preparation time required, plus the will power element.
I try to keep my indulgence of a slice of gluten free cake or a similar treat to once a week. It makes socializing easier and it seems to help me eat more sensibly the rest of the time.
It is all about finding out what works for you, where you are right now.
Congratulate yourself for the changes you have made and forgive yourself when you slip up.
I hope you find the right combination of lifestyle changes, medication, supplements and diet to begin making steps back to better health.
Wishing you well.
AARA
I've actually always eaten incredibly healthily. Only recently have a i cut out bread and dairy. Think it was a craving for bread rather than anything on it!
Hi Jules13.
Adjusting to cutting out things like bread and dairy can be really challenging.
I have heard it said, that we tend to be both intolerant of and addicted to the foods we crave. If this is true then no wonder the mind fights the changes we try to make with cravings.
Wishing you well.
AARA
You ca actually get quite good gluten free bread. Meant a lot for me too😊But the ill effects of grains is something I am more and more convinced about, so am glad I have found good glutenfree surrogate 😊
I wish I could find good gluten free bread. The ones I’ve found haven’t been brilliant . Where do you buy yours?
I live in the South of France and had a really hard time finding it! Tried to bake it myself with very little success
LyndaKenny Do you not like the Genius range (if you're in the UK) as I've seen lots of good reviews for their products and for M&S' range?
The 'bread' that I bake for gluten-free friends is well-received but...it can be quite expensive if you need to purchase certified gluten-free oats (guaranteed for no x-contamination) and it is very chewy which is not to everyone's taste: davidlebovitz.com/2014/05/j...
Have you tried doves organic range. Delicious. Not chewy bread. The rye flour good too. Low gluten and yeast.
None are good but some are so so Marks and Spencer do an ok one followed by Shar. I can get it on the NHS but don't like it much Warburtons is vile and Sainsbury's sort of so- so. But please do remember if you suspect your Celiac you must be eating gluten to take the blood test then its the camera to look at stomach damage. I'd strongly urge anyone who thinks they might be, to get tested as if positive like me then it's vital to know about it for a number of reasons.
I was super strict early on, with everything. Not just with food, I even took my MTX at exactly the same time each week without fail.
These days I realise that I have to live my life too, so if I get seduced by a bacon sandwich then I just enjoy it. Or if a friend makes a hugely rich meal as a treat I say thanks and tuck in. I've found that it makes no difference to me as long as I don't overdo fats for days at a time which makes my digestion get a bit over-excited.
Oh now you've got me thinking about a bacon butty.
😀. Sorry!
I wouldn't worry. It might not make a jot of difference! Some people say diet is a factor and there are maybe certain foods which cause a bit of extra inflammation but to most people it doesn't improve or worsen symptoms. A good healthy diet is always better of course! x
It's not so straightforward as I thought about elimination diet. I started with a strict AIP. Got my inflammation down but that was just part of my story. The diet had done some good but had addressed only part of the problem. After learning more about human biochemistry and cell respiration and trusting the signals my body is giving me, I have altogether changed my diet. I feel much better, energetic and enjoy eating once again
I keep away from gluten, legums, nuts and seeds but am starting to tolerate dairy after my metabolic rate has reached a more optimal level. I drink coffee again, which is wonderful and seen as having many positive effects in body biochemistry. Eat a lot of fruits and drink plenty of pressed orange juice during the day. I do take some supplements to support normal cell metabolism. When I was on the AIP diet I was always hungry and eating became less and less an enjoyment. If diet makes you feel like this you are most certainly doing something wrong!
I'm guessing now you have found there was no after effect from the pizza ! If there was then something, not necessarily what you thought, you are actually allergic to. There is no known food that scientifically has any effect on RA. Having said that, years ago, I'm talking over 30 years ago, I was going through a bad time with my RA, constantly having flare ups. So I decided to cut a few things out, just to see if there was any connection. I discoveredd, at that time, that citrus fruits, and milk products (milk, butter etc) did have a negative effect on me. I took the out of my diet for a few weeks and then had apple juice, Flare up happened within a few hours. Same with those listed above.
After about 18 months I got pregnant, and made a decision to eat everything, as the baby was more important. Had no problem ! Pregnancy hormones had taken charge and my RA was in remission - till Victoria was born at least
Basically, if you think something is affecting you, remove it from your diet, for a few weeks then reintroduce it to see what happens. Doctors do not believe this as there is no research to prove it, so don't bother mentioning it to your consultant, they give you a wry smile and change the subject !
Good luck x
Stodgy food with MTX?
Ok..... so I've truly lost the plot!!
