What is the best diet for PA?

[Blinkysmom]

What do some of you eat for meals; a certain diet?

[Penni]

Since I was diagnosed with PA in 2010 it has almost killed me twice, I've now decided to eat what I want and when (within reason). I tend to crave savoury foods, in particular anything carb related such as chips, crisps, noodles etc.

[Blinkysmom in reply to Penni]

Thank you, Penni.

[Penni in reply to Blinkysmom]

That's ok. I'm probably not the best person to give diet advice as have had ongoing issues with food since I was 3! 34 years later it hasn't got much better but everyone has learned too live with it and would rather I eat something than not eat at all.

[clivealive Forum Support]

I've had P.A. for more than 45 years and I'd never given a diet a thought - only now that I'm diabetic I've had to think more about what to (or not) eat.

I don't think P.A. affects your diet as such. An interesting question though.

[JanD236]

I try to eat foods with plenty of folate and potassium in as both are needed to help the body use the B12 that I inject.

Tonight my dinner was super healthy.... 2 small slices of wholemeal toast with smashed avocado on top, sprinkled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds and topped with 2 poached eggs. Organic spinach and asparagus on the side and all washed down with a glass of coconut water.

I also took a betaine HCL with pepsin tablet as my stomach feels better if I do and a multi vitamin. This morning I took a water based probiotic as I'm in the middle of a 3 month course and I find this significantly reduces bloating and discomfort.

[Bengie in reply to JanD236]

Wow somebody loves you! Lol. What a meal. I'd love if that was put in front of me to eat but no such luck, or the energy to even start getting the ingredients!! I'm definitely hungry now. You enjoy though. Lol.

Jill.

[Ryaan in reply to JanD236]

Do you mind sharing what the water based probiotic is called as after meals I get bloating and discomfort.

I've tried a probiotic called Probio 7 (capsules) which don't make much difference.

Pure Aloe Vera juice worked quite well to a certain extent.

[JanD236 in reply to Ryaan]

Yes it's called Symprove. I found it made a difference within a few days but for best results I take it for a 3 month course.

Quite expensive and seems to be a similar price wherever you buy it. However if you get it direct from symprove.co.uk and buy 2 months worth you get the 3rd month free.

[fbirder]

The best diet for somebody with PA is the same as the best diet for somebody without PA: a good variety of foods, mostly plants.

If you have PA then the lack of stomach acid may affect absorption of vitamins and minerals, so get tested for them and supplement those that require supplementation. Don't go taking massive doses of them just because somebody on he internet said to do so. Too much of many of these can be worse than not enough.

I did spend a month gluten-free because somebody told me that it might be responsible for my neuropathy. My neurologist said that was a load of wombat droppings and that only one person could find any evidence of this but nobody else on the planet could replicate his results.

It was one of the most miserable months of my life.

[JanD236 in reply to fbirder]

Bengie.... I cook for myself and it took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

Another good meal for folate & potassium is scrambled eggs and baked beans on wholemeal toast with steamed spinach and white mushrooms (in a pan with a little butter) on the side. Less than 10 minutes from start to finish on this one.

A favourite breakfast is blueberries and another berry (strawberries at the moment), sprinkled with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, 5 nuts (walnut, brazil and almonds), organic yoghurt, a spoon or 2 of granola and a spoon of sultanas. Lots of potassium!

I love my food and like everyone can eat a bit of rubbish here and there but I always try to find something with good in it every meal.

Last year my blood tests showed below range potassium and folate but this year's tests are all nicely in range from eating like this. I have to say I feel the best I have in a few years and my fitness is great at the moment!

[Ryaan in reply to JanD236]

Your recipes sound yummy and super healthy.

[FKtheNHS17]

I developed lactose intollerance and IBS after i was diagnosed with PA/B12 def.

So for 4 yrs my diet was up and down due to discovering foods i couldnt eat anymore.

However having discovered the benefits of apple cider vinegar and i now only eat bakery bread, my IBS seems to have gone on the back burner and i can now eat yoghurt and quark. But still no cheese or milk. And other foods i seem to be getting better with.

Just depends if you have any food related issues already. Due to B12 def causing fatigue. Its best to mix fast energy releasing foods with slow. That way you should get a good balance.

[kirsten555 in reply to FKtheNHS17]

Hi - I've just bought some apple cider vinegar, but I'm not sure when to take it, and how much. I've googled it but there's lots of conflicting advice. What do you do? I'm keen to get some tips from a real person who uses it to help with PA/B12def. Thanks!

[FKtheNHS17 in reply to kirsten555]

I used to have to take buscopan and peppermint tablets before and after i ate at one point. So this stuff is a miracle for me.

So to start with i would recommend having it on an evening after you have eaten.

I use 2 tablespoons/5 or 6 teaspoons of A.C.V and in the glass i top up with the same amount of tepid/luke warm water. Its not the best taste. But do that for every other evening meal for 2 weeks and then just once a week from then.

Im at 3 months now and it has worked wonders. I havent had a buscopan tablet since i started !

I also buy white bread fresh from the bakery. As shop bread used to bloat me and cause painful spasms.

Hope your sorted soon.

[kirsten555 in reply to FKtheNHS17]

Thanks so much! That's great advice and I'll give it a go. I've read about taking it morning and night, after every meal, before every meal ... I got very confused! I'll try your idea of taking it in the evening after a meal. Thank you xxx

[FKtheNHS17 in reply to kirsten555]

P.s. google FodMap diet.

It shows a list of things not to eat and what to eat in small quanties.

Things like cauliflower and asparagus are a no no for me.

So its a good guide.

But hopefully the apple cider vinegar should do the trick

[kirsten555 in reply to FKtheNHS17]

Thank you - I'd never even heard of this! Very interesting!

[indywindy in reply to FKtheNHS17]

How do you feel the benefits of apple cider vinegar?

[FKtheNHS17 in reply to indywindy]

It stops the feeling of heartburn/acid reflux within a minute or 2.

It stops my hiccups within a minute or 2.

It helps act as stomach acid so it helps to digest food. As people with PA are renowned for not having enough stomach acid.

It has put the good bacteria back into my system. So my body doesnt attack itself everytime i eat.

I no longer take buscopan or peppermint tablets before and after each meal.

my stomach isnt going into spasm now, no bloating, no hot and cold sweats, no exhaustion from the above.

So i would say apple cider vinegar has worked wonders for me.

[indywindy in reply to FKtheNHS17]

That all sounds fantastic for you. Thanks for abundant info😉. I too have started it, but only just, and also in order to help my stomach to more acid.

[Marianne1]

As I have IBS as well as PA I found eating Paleo made a huge difference for me, it might be because I had also cut out gluten, but it was the best I have ever felt

[Polaris in reply to Marianne1]

I agree Marianne. Many researchers believe leaky gut/intestinal disease is the source of autoimmune disease and I believe this is at the bottom of all our own family autoimmune/Hashimoto's thyroid/PA/B12 problems. Most doctors won't treat your autoimmune condition and this appears to be at the root of many problems with the added complication of medications (antacids and Metformin etc ) which deplete vitamin B12. You need acid to begin the process of absorbing this and other essential vitamins and minerals.

livescience.com/47625-gut-b...

Personally I've found that taking daily spoonfuls of sauerkraut (more good bacteria than any probiotic), and avoiding gluten hopefully heals the villi lining the digestive system and aids absorption of B12 and other essential nutrients - thereby strengthening the immune system. Dr Marc Ryan's (on his Facebook page) excellent article is interesting - extract:

"Hashimoto's Health Tip: The Little Paint Brushes in Your Tummy"

"Anyone who has lived with Hashimoto's knows that this is so much more than a thyroid problem. The biggest axis of trouble is often found in the thyroid-brain-gut connection. And one common problem that causes this is leaky gut or intestinal permeability.

Many researchers believe that this is ground zero for autoimmune disease.

It is the place that autoimmune disease is born and the place that makes it get worse and worse. And when things get worse in the gut, problems in the thyroid and brain often follow. In this post, I wanted to shed light on some little known but very helpful enzymes called brush border enzymes.

The small intestines are the place where leaky gut often happens. And the walls of the small intestines are lined with tiny little hair like protrusions called microvilli. On a regular microscope they kind of look like a tiny, fuzzy paint brush. This fuzzy appearance is why they came up with the term "brush border" to describe them.

This is the place where absorption happens.

And many people with Hashimoto's suffer from deficiencies of important vitamins and nutrients (like vitamin D, vitamin B12 and B6, zinc, selenium, magnesium, iron, etc.)

One of the reasons for this is the breakdown of these brush borders.

Foods high in lectins or other inflammatory substances (like gluten, and other grains, beans and nightshades) can actually cause these brush borders to get crushed and destroyed.

The microvilli (little hairs) that make up the brush border have enzymes for this final part of digestion anchored into their membrane as membrane proteins. These enzymes are found near to the transporters that will then allow absorption of digested nutrients."

[MoKayD in reply to Polaris]

I agree with the sauerkraut. I have had trouble digesting for years. Gas and bloating, etc. which became worse after my gallbladder was removed. I often wonder if this had anything to do with my B12 deficiency which was discovered about a year after the gallbladder operation. Anyway, I've been trying a lot of things to improve my digestion and what seems to work best is eating about a quarter cup of good sauerkraut (the refrigerated kind) before each meal. It's a little hard to get down before breakfast, but I do it because it works. Very little gas and bloating now even when I forget or can't take the sauerkraut.

[Polaris in reply to MoKayD]

So glad the Sauerkraut helped you too MoKayD 🤗 I had years of gastritis, reflux, H/Pylori, IBS, and gall bladder pain before I discovered It's benefits and now take it with every meal.

Gall bladder problems run through our family too :

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1...

"CONCLUSION: Apart from other risk factors, pernicious anemia itself increases the frequency of gallbladder stones."

[MoKayD in reply to Polaris]

That's very interesting. My mother and sister have both had their gall bladders removed also. So far I'm the only one who has been diagnosed with pernicious anemia.

[freelancer]

I found that most of my PA fatigue went away overnight when I went on a low-carb diet to lose weight and I eventually worked out that it came back with a vengeance when I ate anything with wheat involved. So, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, I ended up going gluten free and now, several years on, feel mostly fine, can exercise again etc and my levels are quite high on a three-month injection cycle. I think that this probably means I’m an undiagnosed coeliac rather than that it’s an all-purpose cure for PA though.

That said, I think the main thing is to eat as much unprocessed, high quality, nutrient-dense food as you can to give your body the best fighting chance. Which is entirely the opposite of what I was doing before, so I suppose at least PA has improved my diet...