Principles in Food

Starting last Sunday, I decided to make a shift in my eating pattern.

A shift I have been pondering, pondering very hard (kinda the way I think of exercise), for the last year.

I have shifted to a more vegetarian lifestyle. I've been doing this more and more over the last year. But I made the commitment yesterday.

Research shows that a more plant based diet helps with the inflammation issues in Lupus. Although I will need to avoid alfalfa (though I don't eat alfalfa on a regular basis) because there are properties in it that can trigger lupus flares.  Which would be one on of the reasons to restrict any product that might have ingested alfalfa. (so long anything that moo'd or bleet'd).  There is nothing that says I can't enjoy anything that swims. :)

My choice is guided by the following principles:

And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground— (D&C 89)

Lupus was not something I chosen to have in my life. I'm still struggling with how to cope with it. I need to be smart and sensible about my choices.  I can work to make my body as healthy as possible.

I choose to give my body a fighting chance. That includes the food I eat, utilizing my faith, and not beating myself up to badly over the course of this life long experience.

Smelly Things

I'm currently the victim of chemical warfare in my office building.

A catastrophe happened over the weekend, where the kitchenette flooded. The maintenance people sucked up all the water, then put on a fan to 'dry' the carpeting.  Then today, some enterprising cleaning person decided the damp carpet looked dirty and sprayed the most noxious carpet cleaner on the floor in the middle of the work day, with the fan pointed out into the hallway spreading the fumes into the entire office space.

Yes, my head is splitting. I can't eat and I'm currently in an email battle with the dimwits at corporate facilities and the building maintenance. I haven't puked yet - only because the mere thought of food sends me into a panic so there is nothing there.

As I tried to explain to the chemically brain-rotted maintenance person, as he started to add a layer of aerosol fragrance to the already nasty chemical stew floating in the air, that he was making people in the area sick -  I was told that he felt fine and that I didn't know what I was talking about.

I felt that projectile vomiting, while it would have made my point, was beneath me.

This afternoon, the smell of the chemicals has dissipated, but the damage is done.  I know that the next couple of days may turn into a complete cluster, courtesy of the nincompoops here at work.  I can only hope that when I get into the fresh air some of the headache will go away.

If not, someone is going to pay for my missed work.  It won't come out of my vacation.

I am What I Eat?

The more reading I do, the more I come to realize food plays an important role in how I'm feeling.  The truth is that I'd pretty much figured this out before the diagnosis and had been struggling to make sense of what worked.

Here's where the conflict comes.  The farther you stray from reputable web sources (i.e. the LFA, NIH or similar sites), the wilder the claims.  'You can be CURED!' by becoming a strict vegan.  Give up all things white in your diet and the Lupus will go away.  Hop on one foot during the new moon while patting your tummy and the Lupus will be a memory.

You get the picture.  The last LFA web teleconference I was on, Dr. Philip L. Cohen, M.D., Rheumatology Section Chief, Temple University School of Medicine, said something that stuck with me.  While the person who suffers from Lupus has basic similarities, the symptoms and treatments can vary wildly because there are 30 to 40 genes that contribute to this disease.  Not all the genes have to be triggered to bring on the symptoms, but it certainly makes the diagnosis and treatment difficult.


Back to my dilemma with food.  I am convinced that my diet affects how I feel.  I'm seeking out everything that I can find that will give me a direction.  People I know that have walked this road before me have chosen a vegan life-style, which seems to be working for them. 


I enjoy food, I enjoy cooking. (which would explain my voluptuous figure.)


I'm finding the less processed food, more fresh I eat, the less tired I feel.  I also have less soreness.  Of course, it doesn't help that I tend to be a stress eater.  Which I've been working on.  


Fortunately, I have a palate that enjoys all kinds of food.  More importantly, I need to figure out how to make sure that I'm meeting my nutritional needs while managing this disease.  


Stay tuned as I figure out what works for me.  

Stress and Food

I'm going to admit that I'm a stress eater.  When I hurt, I want my comfort food.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean a lot of rich food, but I like my carbohydrate.  But now that I'm seeing a lupus connection between what I eat and how I feel, well I'm finding that my stress eating is going to have to change.

The funny thing is, I really don't go for all the sweet stuff. Don't get me wrong I like a really good piece of good chocolate.  But I don't need a lot of it.  In fact, I'm pretty limited in my sweets.

I tend to crave the savory.  That's what gets me in trouble.  The savory part of my palate is what I like to stimulate.  I'll take a really good piece of bread (not store bought white sandwich bread, the the yummy artisan bread) with a bit of butter and/or dipping oil over a sweet any day.  I could nosh that down in a heart beat.

But I find that I tend to get sluggish.  The brain fog gets bad.

Foods that keep me on task are the simple foods.  Lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, simple carbohydrates.  I can do complex carbohydrates in moderation.  I just have to really watch my intake with them.

I'm not going to give up my chocolate! That's all I'm saying.