Re: Diet and RA

[Guest guest]

Hey JB - You sound like a great guy and a real asset to your girlfriend. I've thought about doing different diets - basically I've banned red meat from my diet. I try and eat more fruits and vegetables, too. But I'm not nearly as strict as I would like to be or really should be. It takes real energy and planning in order to eat as strictly as your girlfriend and I say fantastic for her. I hope that it helps her a lot. I would really be interested to hear how she does down the road, so please keep us informed. Maybe it will help inspire me to be better with my own diet! I am a strong believer in alternative methods (despite the many drugs I'm on) and would like to be able to control my symptoms better with diet and herbal supplements.

Sometimes I'm just too busy with life, children, work to have the commitment it would take to do such a diet. Having suffered a severe case of ulcerative colitis in the past, I did do an extremely strict diet when I had flares. It did seem to help, but I was a roaring pain in the you know where when I was on it. But it did get easier and luckily I have been in remission for over five years. Our society doesn't seem to encourage this kind of pure and organic eating and it's a tough road for those of us who don't have that kind of discipline.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend.

gloria

[Guest guest]

i am 75 and have had RA for a long time but the regimen you have told about has helped me tremendously. no meat, sugar, dairy, sody pop, <grin!> fats (use olive oil) among other things, but improvment did not come along untill i started eating right. i still have flars but not like before and i am not badly crippeled as yet.

have her go for it.. t is good for anyone. also food has to be combined properly... do a search on combining foods.

love... granny lee.. also you might want to cck the herbal_remedies group on , but you have to be patient with all the frendly posts..lol

and i pretty much advocate it as it has helped me.

----- Original Message -----

From: leojbramble @ hotmail

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 6:13 PM

Subject: Diet and RA

My girlfriend has been diagnosed with RA, but other doctors she's seen haven't been sure that's exactly what it is, so take from this what you will:

About 6 weeks ago, on the recommendation of an M.D, she began a 120-day raw-organic-plant food only diet, and has noticed a significant reduction in pain/inflammation. She started with two weeks of fresh fruit/veg juices only, and then added solid fruits/vegs. No animal products whatsoever (including milk), and ALL organic, and ALL raw (not even steamed veggies, or brewed stuff like soy sauce). Advocates of this diet insist that it's important that the juices be fresh (home)-squeezed and all food be raw, so as to consume the enzymes while they are still active, and also insist that the fruits/vegetables be organic as to avoid the toxic pesticides rampant in the commercial varieties.

Anyway, the plan is for her to do this diet for 4 months for a complete 'detox', although she may continue it beyond that, assuming she otherwise maintains good health and proper nutritional balance. Now, I'm a hard-boiled, meat-eating New York skeptic who tends to look askance at 'granola heads' and their wacky diets, but y'know, in support of her, I've started going much, much lighter on meat and much, much heavier on fruits/veggies, and I gotta say that I (who thank God, has no major health issues, knock wood) can notice a real energy difference.

Now, please be clear that I'm not advocating this diet, because it's too soon to tell, but I just wanted to share the experience for whatever it's worth and ask whether anyone else has experienced dietary changes of ANY kind making any difference with their RA?

JB

[Guest guest]

Good to see you've had good experience with this regimen. Thanks for the tip on the herbal remedies group -- that should be interesting, since my g/f's medical regimen has been pretty much entirely herbal -- she's terrified of the 'hard stuff'. :-)

----- Original Message -----

From: leo

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 7:57 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

i am 75 and have had RA for a long time but the regimen you have told about has helped me tremendously. no meat, sugar, dairy, sody pop, <grin!> fats (use olive oil) among other things, but improvment did not come along untill i started eating right. i still have flars but not like before and i am not badly crippeled as yet.

have her go for it.. t is good for anyone. also food has to be combined properly... do a search on combining foods.

love... granny lee.. also you might want to cck the herbal_remedies group on , but you have to be patient with all the frendly posts..lol

and i pretty much advocate it as it has helped me.

----- Original Message -----

From: leojbramble @ hotmail

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 6:13 PM

Subject: Diet and RA

My girlfriend has been diagnosed with RA, but other doctors she's seen haven't been sure that's exactly what it is, so take from this what you will:

About 6 weeks ago, on the recommendation of an M.D, she began a 120-day raw-organic-plant food only diet, and has noticed a significant reduction in pain/inflammation. She started with two weeks of fresh fruit/veg juices only, and then added solid fruits/vegs. No animal products whatsoever (including milk), and ALL organic, and ALL raw (not even steamed veggies, or brewed stuff like soy sauce). Advocates of this diet insist that it's important that the juices be fresh (home)-squeezed and all food be raw, so as to consume the enzymes while they are still active, and also insist that the fruits/vegetables be organic as to avoid the toxic pesticides rampant in the commercial varieties.

Anyway, the plan is for her to do this diet for 4 months for a complete 'detox', although she may continue it beyond that, assuming she otherwise maintains good health and proper nutritional balance. Now, I'm a hard-boiled, meat-eating New York skeptic who tends to look askance at 'granola heads' and their wacky diets, but y'know, in support of her, I've started going much, much lighter on meat and much, much heavier on fruits/veggies, and I gotta say that I (who thank God, has no major health issues, knock wood) can notice a real energy difference.

Now, please be clear that I'm not advocating this diet, because it's too soon to tell, but I just wanted to share the experience for whatever it's worth and ask whether anyone else has experienced dietary changes of ANY kind making any difference with their RA?

JB

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I wish it were easier to eat right, but we're so bombarded with crappy food EVERYWHERE. Preparing proper breakfasts and dinners at home takes some discipline (and budgeting -- organic stuff seems about twice as expensive as the commercial stuff!), but they are at least manageable. (Of course, I don't have kids, so that's easy to say -- geez, I barely manage to get MYSELF dressed and out of the house in the morning!) But trying to eat right outside the home can be a real challenge. And I imagine it can also be tough to consistently manage a healthy diet around your social life (evenings out with friends, or worse, dinner parties at someone's home.)

Fortunately, we had Thanksgiving with some dear, old friends of mine who are the absolute best. It was a traditional carnivorous gastro-intestinal self-indulgence, but since the husband is a quasi-vegetarian, they prepared a really sumptous completely organic raw meal for my girlfriend, , complete with a variety of fresh-squeezed organic juices, raw nuts, a beautiful plate of organic fruits/veggies and greens... she felt completely at home and included. But that was a rare circumstance, created by extraordinary people...

Anyway, stay the course, as much as you can. Good luck with everything.

JB

----- Original Message -----

From: gloriarex@...

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:18 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

Hey JB - You sound like a great guy and a real asset to your girlfriend. I've thought about doing different diets - basically I've banned red meat from my diet. I try and eat more fruits and vegetables, too. But I'm not nearly as strict as I would like to be or really should be. It takes real energy and planning in order to eat as strictly as your girlfriend and I say fantastic for her. I hope that it helps her a lot. I would really be interested to hear how she does down the road, so please keep us informed. Maybe it will help inspire me to be better with my own diet! I am a strong believer in alternative methods (despite the many drugs I'm on) and would like to be able to control my symptoms better with diet and herbal supplements.

Sometimes I'm just too busy with life, children, work to have the commitment it would take to do such a diet. Having suffered a severe case of ulcerative colitis in the past, I did do an extremely strict diet when I had flares. It did seem to help, but I was a roaring pain in the you know where when I was on it. But it did get easier and luckily I have been in remission for over five years. Our society doesn't seem to encourage this kind of pure and organic eating and it's a tough road for those of us who don't have that kind of discipline.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend.

gloria

[Guest guest]

I am so glad you all finding eating plans that work for you!!!!!!!!

I have to be sooooooooooooooo careful because of the severe ulcerative colitis I have to SEVERELY restrict veggies, fruit and fiber! I CRAVE salads!!!!!!! And I can get by with eating more veggies about 2 times a week any more than that and I have a really bad flare of the ulcerative colitis!!!!

I went to a nutritionist who has helped me find some ways to put more balance back into my diet because it DOES help the RA. My gastroenterologist just shook his head when I told him about the RA. I have some really good docs who work together instead of trying to be prima donas! His father suffered with ulcerative colitis for years before it was diagnosed - it is why he became a doc, to help his dad!

So when I really get the veggie cravings I look at my food diary and see if I've gotten off track. I can usually get by with eating green beans and carrots every day (thank God), everything else has slowly gotten off the list. So for a bad colitis day it's only green beans or carrots! But once it's under control I can add back in tomatoes, okra, celery, onions (believe it or not they don't bother me too much!), bell peppers, cabbage. I move these around in my diet during the week to keep from boredom. The big No No's for me anyway are: lettuce (any kind), squash (any kind), dried beans (any kind), oatmeal, cream of wheat, cucumbers - however pickles don't bother me at all - go figure!

Enough of my whining!!!!!! I know everyone has their own plan. I am just glad to hear that working with foods has helped others too.

Have a wonderful weekend! We are supposed to get about a foot of snow on Sunday.....not sure what that will do for services at the church - I guess I might have to call them off if it gets too bad.

Take care everyone!!!!!!!!!

Carla in Central Pennsylvania (near Hershey)

----- Original Message -----

From: leojbramble @ hotmail

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 9:10 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I wish it were easier to eat right, but we're so bombarded with crappy food EVERYWHERE. Preparing proper breakfasts and dinners at home takes some discipline (and budgeting -- organic stuff seems about twice as expensive as the commercial stuff!), but they are at least manageable. (Of course, I don't have kids, so that's easy to say -- geez, I barely manage to get MYSELF dressed and out of the house in the morning!) But trying to eat right outside the home can be a real challenge. And I imagine it can also be tough to consistently manage a healthy diet around your social life (evenings out with friends, or worse, dinner parties at someone's home.)

Fortunately, we had Thanksgiving with some dear, old friends of mine who are the absolute best. It was a traditional carnivorous gastro-intestinal self-indulgence, but since the husband is a quasi-vegetarian, they prepared a really sumptous completely organic raw meal for my girlfriend, , complete with a variety of fresh-squeezed organic juices, raw nuts, a beautiful plate of organic fruits/veggies and greens... she felt completely at home and included. But that was a rare circumstance, created by extraordinary people...

Anyway, stay the course, as much as you can. Good luck with everything.

JB

----- Original Message -----

From: gloriarex@...

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:18 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

Hey JB - You sound like a great guy and a real asset to your girlfriend. I've thought about doing different diets - basically I've banned red meat from my diet. I try and eat more fruits and vegetables, too. But I'm not nearly as strict as I would like to be or really should be. It takes real energy and planning in order to eat as strictly as your girlfriend and I say fantastic for her. I hope that it helps her a lot. I would really be interested to hear how she does down the road, so please keep us informed. Maybe it will help inspire me to be better with my own diet! I am a strong believer in alternative methods (despite the many drugs I'm on) and would like to be able to control my symptoms better with diet and herbal supplements.

Sometimes I'm just too busy with life, children, work to have the commitment it would take to do such a diet. Having suffered a severe case of ulcerative colitis in the past, I did do an extremely strict diet when I had flares. It did seem to help, but I was a roaring pain in the you know where when I was on it. But it did get easier and luckily I have been in remission for over five years. Our society doesn't seem to encourage this kind of pure and organic eating and it's a tough road for those of us who don't have that kind of discipline.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend.

gloria

[Guest guest]

Hi Carla:

Are you familiar with the Elaine Gottschall diet? It is very strict - no grains of any kind, very few fats allowed, no sugar, no dairy. That's the diet I went on when I would have flares in my UC. I also did a Chinese herbal medicine (tablets) that helped put me in remission. Good luck to you.

gloria

[Guest guest]

Gee, and I think of lettuce as the most benign thing on earth!

Just curious, does it make a difference for you if your fruits/veggies are cooked/steamed vs raw? Or if the cream of wheat/oatmeal are overcooked so they're less fibrous? I'm just speculating that breaking down the cells in the food might possibly make them less irritating? But then you'd lose the supposed benefits of the active enzymes... anyway, just wondering if that makes any difference...

JB

<<I have to be sooooooooooooooo careful because of the severe ulcerative colitis I have to SEVERELY restrict veggies, fruit and fiber! >>

[Guest guest]

i wonder if you could take your vegetables if they were juiced raw? that way you could get fuller benefit from them and believe it or not, when juicing, you really don't need bulk. besides, perhaps you could take the Psylium for bulk if your colon could handle it. Sounds like you are handling the problem it like a trouper, though.

i have finally gotten the esophageal reflux (dang.. never can remember how to spell that.. ) under control by using the acidophilus, DGL and enzymes, but for some reason iceburg lettuce bothers me... forms a very bad tasting gas when it comes up.

for those who can take vegetables here is what has been helping me.. i am not doing it just like they say to, but it helps and is simple....

i am not able to find all the organic vegetables i would like, so i do the next best thing and buy mixed frozen vegetables with green beans, carrots, water chestnuts, brockoli and i can't remember what else... if it doesn't have what i want in one package, i get other packages like spinach, moe carrots, corn, squash.. and add to them or fresh ones. i fill a large pyrex (9x13x2.5 approximately) baking dish with all these vegetables and a bit of RO water, cover with saran wrap and microwave them just enough to thaw them out and barely tenderize the brockoli. simple as falling off a log! when ready to eat, i season my serving with a very small amount of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, (sometimes fresh garlic and onions) maybe a bit of sage or other herbs... if i want..

sometimes i bake a fish fillet with herb seasoning or a piece of chicken breast with various herbals, mabe some albacore. Sometimes i put some beans to soak in one pot and some rice in another and let them soak overnight (12-14 hrs before draining the beans ) then cook them the next day and serve them both as a compatible protein dish with the vegetables.

it is so simple for me to do it this way...

i have fruit way before breakfast and later a raw egg and soy or almond milk shake sweetened with stevia; then the vegetables and protein meal for lunch. then similar for supper and later maybe a serving of popcorn and still later, a glass of RO water with half a fresh lemon squeezed in it and sweetened with stevia ( a very sweet herb which i like better than sugar)

i take DGL (licorice) before meals, enzymes after and acidophilus in between meals as well as multivitamins, Vit E,, ground flax seed, calcium, Naprosin 540 mg and prednisone 5 mg. also take ginger root and rosemary with my foods or encapsulated.

i used to eat a lot of cheese ...God i love cheese... but i have given it up and now i hardly miss it, but ONCE IN A WHILE.. i'lL have a teensy weency bit! I don't feel deprived on this regimen.. i am telling all this hoping that someone might realize that it isn't that big a hassel.. of course i never was one to live to eat.. i'm more on the eat to live catagory. LOL!

by the way.. in 1979-80 i juiced on various sets of carrots, cabbage, apples, beets, squash. .. for over three months with no other food and i felt great.. had energy... and by the middle of the 3rd month, i would wake up and not be in pain!!!

i still have flares, but considering my age (75+) and length of time i have had the problem, i am holding up fairly well... could be a lot worse.

love.. granny lee

----- Original Message -----

From: Pastor Carla Janes

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:35 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

I am so glad you all finding eating plans that work for you!!!!!!!!

I have to be sooooooooooooooo careful because of the severe ulcerative colitis I have to SEVERELY restrict veggies, fruit and fiber! I CRAVE salads!!!!!!! And I can get by with eating more veggies about 2 times a week any more than that and I have a really bad flare of the ulcerative colitis!!!!

I went to a nutritionist who has helped me find some ways to put more balance back into my diet because it DOES help the RA. My gastroenterologist just shook his head when I told him about the RA. I have some really good docs who work together instead of trying to be prima donas! His father suffered with ulcerative colitis for years before it was diagnosed - it is why he became a doc, to help his dad!

So when I really get the veggie cravings I look at my food diary and see if I've gotten off track. I can usually get by with eating green beans and carrots every day (thank God), everything else has slowly gotten off the list. So for a bad colitis day it's only green beans or carrots! But once it's under control I can add back in tomatoes, okra, celery, onions (believe it or not they don't bother me too much!), bell peppers, cabbage. I move these around in my diet during the week to keep from boredom. The big No No's for me anyway are: lettuce (any kind), squash (any kind), dried beans (any kind), oatmeal, cream of wheat, cucumbers - however pickles don't bother me at all - go figure!

Enough of my whining!!!!!! I know everyone has their own plan. I am just glad to hear that working with foods has helped others too.

Have a wonderful weekend! We are supposed to get about a foot of snow on Sunday.....not sure what that will do for services at the church - I guess I might have to call them off if it gets too bad.

Take care everyone!!!!!!!!!

Carla in Central Pennsylvania (near Hershey)

[Guest guest]

leo said,

"...i used to eat a lot of cheese ...God i love cheese... but i have given it up and now i hardly miss it..."

Ah.... I, too, love cheese! Extra Sharp New York Cheddar is God's own sweet gift! But alas, I must give it up. (Dermatological issues. But that's another group...)

leo also said,

"...i wonder if you could take your vegetables if they were juiced raw? that way you could get fuller benefit from them and believe it or not, when juicing, you really don't need bulk..."

Pastor Carla (and anyone else considering juicing), I suggest you read up at bit on the various types of juicers and buy the best one you can afford. You'll want one that:

1. gets the most juice out of the pulp

2. works well on the types of fruits/vegs you're likely to use it for

3. is easy to clean/maintain

4. will last you a while (10 years+)

A really solid product can cost $200 or more in a specialty store or online retailer (perhaps less on ebay). The cheaper discount models that you can buy in any old department store are ok if you just want to explore the idea of juicing and aren't ready to make a more serious financial commitment yet, but they generally don't extract juice very efficiently, and are stain-prone and flimsy.

Definitely research models from Omega and Champion, among other manufacturers. You want to consider the various types of mechanisms used to extract juice. For example, the ones that shred the fruit and spin it around at high speed to extract the juice (centrifugal types), tend to heat the juice ever so slightly, which quickly deactivates valuable enzymes and means you have to drink the juice right away for maximum benefit. Also, they tend not to work well at all for leafy greens. Other types of juicers that slowly grind and compress the fruit/vegs. do a better job of preserving the enzymes, and allow you to refridgerate the juice for a day or two without losing much nutritional value at all.

Here are just a couple of information sources to get you started.

http://www.discountjuicers.com/juicers.html

http://www.living-foods.com/marketplace/information.html

JB

[Guest guest]

I AM able to drink some vegggie juices so fortunately I can take some veggies that way. Just have to be careful!

It is sooooooooo frustrating because I LOVE veggies!!!!!!! It has been a difficult adjustment!

Thanks for the support and advice!!!!!

I wish you the best too!

Carla

----- Original Message -----

From: leo

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 12:46 AM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

i wonder if you could take your vegetables if they were juiced raw? that way you could get fuller benefit from them and believe it or not, when juicing, you really don't need bulk. besides, perhaps you could take the Psylium for bulk if your colon could handle it. Sounds like you are handling the problem it like a trouper, though.

i have finally gotten the esophageal reflux (dang.. never can remember how to spell that.. ) under control by using the acidophilus, DGL and enzymes, but for some reason iceburg lettuce bothers me... forms a very bad tasting gas when it comes up.

for those who can take vegetables here is what has been helping me.. i am not doing it just like they say to, but it helps and is simple....

i am not able to find all the organic vegetables i would like, so i do the next best thing and buy mixed frozen vegetables with green beans, carrots, water chestnuts, brockoli and i can't remember what else... if it doesn't have what i want in one package, i get other packages like spinach, moe carrots, corn, squash.. and add to them or fresh ones. i fill a large pyrex (9x13x2.5 approximately) baking dish with all these vegetables and a bit of RO water, cover with saran wrap and microwave them just enough to thaw them out and barely tenderize the brockoli. simple as falling off a log! when ready to eat, i season my serving with a very small amount of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, (sometimes fresh garlic and onions) maybe a bit of sage or other herbs... if i want..

sometimes i bake a fish fillet with herb seasoning or a piece of chicken breast with various herbals, mabe some albacore. Sometimes i put some beans to soak in one pot and some rice in another and let them soak overnight (12-14 hrs before draining the beans ) then cook them the next day and serve them both as a compatible protein dish with the vegetables.

it is so simple for me to do it this way...

i have fruit way before breakfast and later a raw egg and soy or almond milk shake sweetened with stevia; then the vegetables and protein meal for lunch. then similar for supper and later maybe a serving of popcorn and still later, a glass of RO water with half a fresh lemon squeezed in it and sweetened with stevia ( a very sweet herb which i like better than sugar)

i take DGL (licorice) before meals, enzymes after and acidophilus in between meals as well as multivitamins, Vit E,, ground flax seed, calcium, Naprosin 540 mg and prednisone 5 mg. also take ginger root and rosemary with my foods or encapsulated.

i used to eat a lot of cheese ...God i love cheese... but i have given it up and now i hardly miss it, but ONCE IN A WHILE.. i'lL have a teensy weency bit! I don't feel deprived on this regimen.. i am telling all this hoping that someone might realize that it isn't that big a hassel.. of course i never was one to live to eat.. i'm more on the eat to live catagory. LOL!

by the way.. in 1979-80 i juiced on various sets of carrots, cabbage, apples, beets, squash. .. for over three months with no other food and i felt great.. had energy... and by the middle of the 3rd month, i would wake up and not be in pain!!!

i still have flares, but considering my age (75+) and length of time i have had the problem, i am holding up fairly well... could be a lot worse.

love.. granny lee

----- Original Message -----

From: Pastor Carla Janes

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:35 PM

Subject: Re: Diet and RA

I am so glad you all finding eating plans that work for you!!!!!!!!

I have to be sooooooooooooooo careful because of the severe ulcerative colitis I have to SEVERELY restrict veggies, fruit and fiber! I CRAVE salads!!!!!!! And I can get by with eating more veggies about 2 times a week any more than that and I have a really bad flare of the ulcerative colitis!!!!

I went to a nutritionist who has helped me find some ways to put more balance back into my diet because it DOES help the RA. My gastroenterologist just shook his head when I told him about the RA. I have some really good docs who work together instead of trying to be prima donas! His father suffered with ulcerative colitis for years before it was diagnosed - it is why he became a doc, to help his dad!

So when I really get the veggie cravings I look at my food diary and see if I've gotten off track. I can usually get by with eating green beans and carrots every day (thank God), everything else has slowly gotten off the list. So for a bad colitis day it's only green beans or carrots! But once it's under control I can add back in tomatoes, okra, celery, onions (believe it or not they don't bother me too much!), bell peppers, cabbage. I move these around in my diet during the week to keep from boredom. The big No No's for me anyway are: lettuce (any kind), squash (any kind), dried beans (any kind), oatmeal, cream of wheat, cucumbers - however pickles don't bother me at all - go figure!

Enough of my whining!!!!!! I know everyone has their own plan. I am just glad to hear that working with foods has helped others too.

Have a wonderful weekend! We are supposed to get about a foot of snow on Sunday.....not sure what that will do for services at the church - I guess I might have to call them off if it gets too bad.

Take care everyone!!!!!!!!!

Carla in Central Pennsylvania (near Hershey)