As part of my proper eating (yes today is Easter day and I have strayed but back on course tomorrow) leaving processed foods behind I am going for the nothing added, more gained, approach.

In the new year I gave up processed foods but I have also veered right away from those sugary drinks plus any sugar unless naturally in food such as fruit.  Having never been a tea or coffee fan – just hot chocolate – I had always drunk sugary squash … I did wonder about my continual thirst and craving for sweet stuff – literally a habit of a lifetime.  Also out is juice!  I will on a rare occasion allow myself a smoothie but only on special occasions – possibly in the summer as an alternative on a hot day.  If I want orange juice then I will eat the whole fruit (minus the skin – find it bit chewy) and the same with apple juice – forget that – I will eat the fruit and drink water if thirsty.  I am becoming a firm believer in letting my body sort out what it needs from the fruit rather than giving it an orange juice sugar rush without the benefits of the rest of the fruit – plus of course whatever the processed system has taken out and then put back in – usually a few lovely additives.

Processed for me will only mean me making something like an avocado dressing out of natural and whole ingredients.

I am not sure but I do feel with all the rubbish and junk my body has absorbed over the years that I may have given myself what is known as a “leaky gut” which may have triggered or worsened the ME.  I have no idea at all if this is true but again with this approach I am aiming to heal my body to give it the best possible chance to heal.  I will explain more about a leaky gut in a separate post with all the ramifications and problems that it can cause.

Part of this process is healing the gut with the right food and liquid.  This includes fermented saukeraut, kefir and bone broth.  The bone broth totally home made with organic previously happy chickens.  A long hot and slow cooking up of the whole chicken including the feet, head and a few other less seemingly yummy parts.  I do feel that somehow I am moving back in time with getting back to basic and real foods.

My aim is to make sure that everything I eat is nutritious as well as tasty plus avoiding empty calories and generally if it is in a box, can or package with more than one ingredient then I am not buying it.

My intake of healthy fats is on the up – lovely grass fed butter, ghee, coconut oils, avocado and the right nuts and a few seeds.  I have noticed when having my scrambled eggs with spinach all cooked in ghee or butter with a portion of organic meat that I really feel satisfied and do not become hungry and therefore do not crave any snacks!

Cutting out grains and cereals has not been a hardship at all.  I had already cut out most carbs as well and was using rye bread in the past if I felt the need for bread.  Happily we are now onto much better things such as banana bread made with almond flour – it is gorgeous – but no I have it as an occasional treat and not for breakfast.

It is also interesting to move away from the convention of eating for breakfast cereals, toast, fruit and juice.  A good breakfast of meat, veg and eggs really keeps me going for a long time.  I am using berries, nuts with on occasion a blob of organic plain yoghurt as a light end of day small snack / meal usually along with the bone broth.  However, I am going to try the bone broth on occasion to kick the day off.

My main meal of the day frequently includes herrings / salmon / prawns / trout / poultry or other meat, a selection of vegetables or salad including watercress, spinach, rocket, lettuce, avocado, cucumber, spring onions – but currently keeping away from tomatoes (part of the nightshade family – another story for another day).  I am ensuring I have a good portion of the fish or meat as my main protein intake plus as much as I feel I need of the salad and / or veg.  Again I have not felt hungry for a good number of hours after with cravings seemingly vanished.  As I have no processed foods I have increased my salt intake with my food but using pink Himalayan salt which offers a range of minerals and again has not been altered.

I have reintroduced eggs and some dairy into my diet plus nuts.  Eggs absolutely no problem at all.  I think I may have a bit of a reaction to some nuts and again am trying to work out with dairy what I can tolerate and works with my body.  Extremely happy that I am happy with eggs as I love them plus a great versatile food to utilise in cooking.  I think the nut problem has been caused by one of my “off piste” experiences so I need to isolate and work through what is going on there.  Again “off piste” with the dairy reaction, so that will take more time and work before I can figure that one out.  Easter eggs today will be absolute no help.

What I am finding I need is to keep reading up on what I am doing, utilising other’s experiences, and incorporating their methodologies when I have inadvertently veered off.  The Whole30 has been a great read and I will be doing 30 days of that regime post Easter.  What I have also found is that I need clarity and numerous lists!  I am a list person who for some reasons writes out, rewrites and even writes out again what I am doing.  I keep an emergency list posted to the fridge door and on my iphone to help keep me focused.

Lacking the ability to exercise (I still desperately miss exercise) does not help, or it could be the ME / PoTS not helping – or a combination of the two.  Exercise helped me considerably with discipline, focus, stress alleviation and overall good health.  Having this taken away from me therefore has robbed me of all of the above.  A bad ME / PoTS day leads to stress and pain, plus more emotion and in turn to bad eating.  Plus with my pre 2014 eating regime I had ridiculous cravings and immediately went for the chocolate “feel good factor” time and time again.

The exercise bit I cannot fix.  I am hoping that at some point – after forthcoming tests – that I might be able to deduce my anaerobic threshold.  I head about a woman living with ME in the US who is doing tiny tiny movements over seconds whilst lying down that maybe moving forward on the exercise front (just not the type known to non-ME people).  At present though my heart rate is too high to even attempt any “moves” on this front.  Time will tell.  I do hope that my recently purchased off road mobility scooter will give me back some of the feeling of exercising outdoors with the fresh air and sensation of freedom.  Just another waiting game as we need an vehicle with a ramp to move the mob scooter!