to eat or what to eat ???

[seamaid]

After 18 months of struggling I managed to lose 4 stone following Slimming World. but had a huge shock when I was researching foods which are bad for PMR and , basically it is SW diet so am now at a loss when I see what I can have has a diet , I am dairy Intolerant which does does cut a lot of my choices down, I am a big fan of salads but not so with Veg ! beans seeds and pulses just do not get me excited, so any advice from anyone I promise to try hard will be very welcome, also any suitable cookbooks , I am a good cook but not in this diet regime Thank you all

[123-go]

I had a bash at SW some years ago but was horrified by some (a lot) of the food and menus promoted; full of sugar, artificial additives, flavourings, colourings....

Just to start you off, homemade blended vegetable soups are delicious if you don't like the texture of whole veg. Broccoli and stilton, mushroom, celery are good. Have a look at BBC Good Food on the internet for inspiration to start you off. 'The Diet Doctor' has been recommended here.

Chicken and fish (not fried) oily fish like salmon and sardines are good for you and eggs are excellent and can be eaten frequently.

Once you've sorted out what you can eat, make a list of meals you've enjoyed-and their ingredients - so that you can refer to them in the future.

Don't forget berries-raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.

[MhairiP]

I'm intrigued... what sort of salads do you enjoy if not with veg, beans, seeds and pulses?! What else is there?! The key to controlling weight when on pred is to reduce carbs. When I was on pred I followed a low carb diet and I didn't gain weight at all - in fact I lost weight. I don't know what the Slimming World diet is like but I suspect it's full of processed food (that's how they'll make their money). Wholefoods are best - at least you know what you're eating, without any hidden nasties!

[Kendrew in reply to MhairiP]

Hi MhairiP.

Unfortunately, a lot of wholefoods are also high carb... wheat, rice, oats, quinoa, many vegetables and fruits.....to mention but a few. Wholefoods are definitely an excellent choice for maintaining a healthy diet under normal circumstances, but when taking steroids, this frequently doesn't work.

Steroids change the way we metabolise our food, particularly carbohydrates and this is why a low carb diet is usually the best way forward. It helps prevent steroid related diabetes, unwanted weight gain and a variety of other health related issues.

It's not about what would normally be considered a healthy diet anymore. It's about managing a host of condition-related issues whilst maintaining the best state of health possible. Confusing I know, but lots of information on here to help. FAQ's has some information on low carb eating.

[MhairiP in reply to Kendrew]

Perhaps 'wholefood' was the wrong word - I should have said 'unprocessed food'! Avoid processed/high sugar/salt/fat products - go back to basic ingredients and start from there.

[Kendrew in reply to MhairiP]

Absolutely. Agree 100%.🙂

[Viveka in reply to Kendrew]

Well explained, Kendrew, I didn't fully understand this before, thanks.

[seamaid in reply to MhairiP]

Hello MhairiP thank you for your reply actually SW diet these days is very non processed I ate nothing processed at all I cooked all my food fresh and hence managed to lose a lot of weight. However I see now I did depended on Carbs too much to fill me, Potatoes Rice Couscous, and my own homemade bread ! this is starting a whole new regime best wishes

[daisygreen9 in reply to MhairiP]

hi ,carbs are necessary for energy ... its refined oils that are the problem .. i tried slimming world and although i lost weight i did not feel healthy or full on it and gained all the weight back when i stopped going ..i read THE STARCH SOLUTION by dr mc dougall,i lost 2 stone and his info on nutrition is quality stuff

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You have doe really well to lose all that weight - so pat yourself on the back for that.

Anything that claims particular foods are bad for PMR is probably wanting to sell something. Everyone is different and it is a case of identifying what doesn't suit YOU. On the other hand - like 123-go, I personally find the things allowed on SW rather mind-boggling for a healthy diet and I know I wouldn't lose weight on it.

Lots of us on the forum maintain weight while on pred by low carb eating and this site is really good for identifying what is low carb and helpful and what isn't:

dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

I eat mountains of salad leaves of all sorts, cucumber and a fair few tomatoes though they can mount up the carbs! My husband won't eat veg, never has - but is now eating soups and has no idea what is hiding in there! My daughter has a Morphy Richards total control soupmaker and has just bought me one - brilliantly easy for making soups and hiding the veg.

I think learning what is low carb in the unprocessed foods world is the best way to go, learning how to adapt your usual cooking habits to low carb means you know exactly what you are eating and it saves buying new cookery books. Google low carb recipes and you won't know where to turn for options - and it is free You don't need to join any of the schemes though I know a couple of people find the prescriptive ones with shopping lists and recipes useful.

[seamaid in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you very much for your link to the Diet Dr. it looks really good I have saved it for a good session of research into it tomorrow when I have time to read it all properly, a lot of it does also resemble SW other than the Pasta pots etc so I really think I can get to grips with this, I do still have a lot of weight to lose so will be knuckling down very very soon. Thank you again

[SheffieldJane]

What an astounding success - 4 stones! Respect!

[Bridge31]

Tom Kerridge’s low carb book has a lot of tasty meals.

[seamaid in reply to Bridge31]

Thank you I will have a look

[daisygreen9]

hi seamaid ,i was interested in your post and thought my experience might help .

Despite my pain and disability since may 2021 (i am 59and female)and other aches and joint pain for several years ,i didnt want to go down the steroid route.so i started (in aug 2021 )to change my diet .

i fasted for 48 hours ,only water ..all my pain went .. including the diarroeha id had for 6 months !!!as i reintrodued foods .my pain started coming back ,but at least id had a chance on the fast to catch up on sleep ,thank goodness !!.

"it must be a gut issue " i thought and then researched like crazy ...i started on celery and cucumber juice ...no dairy ,no meat ,no gluten ,no tea,coffee,sugar ...

im following the paddison programme.

ive been on it since 1 sept 2021 nearly 4 weeks ,im on no painkillers ,i do a yoga stretch most mornings and my pain is getting a little bit better each day....im 70% better than i was !!!

the paddison programme is an elimination diet ...it is worth every penny and at £74 uk pounds i thought well ive got nothing to lose ,lets try it ....

and its changed my life ...i cant recommend it enough ...

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to daisygreen9]

The microbiome takes a lot more than 2 days to change - the effect within 48 hours is much more likely to be the euphoria of total fasting. To be fair, a small study some years ago found that half of RA patients could improve their joint pain by following a very strict vegan diet but even those who benefitted were unable to maintain it beyond the trial period because it was so strict - and at the time, expensive and inconvenient. Of course, vegan substitutes are now easily available but some aren't necessarily healthy. However - in the trial, the reintroduction of even a small amount of animal protein resulted in an immediate return of pain.

Before anyone follows this "diet" - which truly is a "fad" - they might like to read this:

sciencebasedmedicine.org/th...

Apart from the fact RA is NOT the same as PMR, this approach has a lot of potential risks associated with it. The total ommission of certain food groups without medical supervision could well result in other problems - and some could occur quite quickly.

It is a sales pitch. With some risk attached.

[jinasc]

In the FAQ's section take a look at the 'Newcastle Diet' - might help.

[seamaid in reply to jinasc]

Thanks Jinasc. I will go and have a good look in a min,

[Freud1553]

If SW worked for you & the PMR is under control, surely you can keep on as you are. PMR takes so much from one, the idea of following a party diet is just too depressing!

[Pixix]

This problem is regularly arising, & if you look at the FAQ’s you will see one that has a lot of information about carbs & diet etc. Sorry, but I don’t have the energy to repeat my input today, but it’s all there in the FAQ’s. I put on a stone, lost it on keto diet, put it back on, plus another two stone, now lost a stone & 3 lbs on the 5:2 diet. Good luck!!

[Truckfoot]

I recently started keto diet plan, basically reducing carbs and sugar and noticed the difference right away in the inflammation levels

[Hidden]

Hi Seamaid. Why not try spicing up your beans and pulses? We use Mint a lot. And chilli's +++

[seamaid in reply to Hidden]

Thats a good idea , My family laugh at me at the moment as the only way I can eat Cauliflower or broccoli is to cover it with mint sauce but at least it is getting eaten ! trouble is is that I am addicted to Carbs but I WILL get there .Thanks for your imput

[Hidden in reply to seamaid]

Seamaid. We use Marks and Spencer prepared salads and bean salads for inspiration. Why not pop into your local one and buy a few then see what you can do to make it at home? Sometimes it's just the one ingredient that changes food.

We tried a beetroot salad last week and it was absolutely superb. So now my wife is making her own version.

We have a Waitrose delivery this week and have ordered about 6 prepared salads of varying ingredients and will doubtless find a few superb ideas.

We don't go to restaurants anymore (avoiding crowds) and spend what we would have spent on even grander food deliveries.

I love Cauliflower but there is something missing for me so we have some form of Cauli salad being delivered!

We haven't been to a Tesco or such for an age - I get so nervous shopping (Covid) I really dislike food shopping anyway so get my inspiration from Amazon, Asos and M & S (pjs) and such.

😀 David

[seamaid in reply to Hidden]

great idea and will have to see what I can get on line, My nearest M & S is a 30 min drive from me ! -I live in a small town - -( I LOVE beetroot and always put it in my salad ,)

[Hidden in reply to seamaid]

M and S is cool! Sadly they haven't got their delivery system down :/

[herdysheep]

British Heart Foundation have some decent recipes too. Sometimes I really can't be bothered to find low carb, cholesterol friendly recipes but there are some around which are quite appetising. reorientation, as ever, requires effort!

[seamaid in reply to herdysheep]

Thank you Herdy sheep , I will take a look, I will take all the help I will get