Supplements And Recovery

[jasonD2]

How am I supposed to heal my insides if im sensitive to every single supplement/herb i take? certain foods give me pressure headaches, fatigue and heart palpitations...usually spices, fermented foods, preservatives, citrus and other things. the problems is that I get the same reaction when i take most supplements. i just started taking George's aloe juice and even 1 tablespoon produces the same reaction. i usually do best when i just avoid supplements, but i feel like i should be making an effort to support my health in addition to eating a healthy diet. does anyone else have this problem? the only supplement that i can tolerate is Biogest, but everything else either constipates me or gives the the headaches. should i just keep taking the supplements that support GI health even though they make me feel lousy? are they still helping?

[Mother of Jibril]

If you're reacting to a lot of different foods, have you thought about trying something like the SCD or a strict elimination diet (in cooperation with a nutritionist or a naturopathic doctor)? That could really give your body a chance to heal. You might also run some tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies (especially iron, ferritin, calcium, potassium, B-12, folic acid, and vitamin D). Then you could limit your supplements to what you really need and still have a positive impact on your health. Also... if the pills bother you, what about liquid vitamins? They should be easier on your stomach and easier to absorb.

One last thought... I started taking Betaine HCl with protein meals to improve my digestion (250 mg). If you have enough stomach acid... or too much... Betaine will give you heartburn and make you burp (which can be neutralized with a little baking soda), but it's harmless to give it a try. Here's a list of symptoms associated with hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid):

Bloating, belching, burning, flatulence immediately after meals, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, itching around the anus, multiple food allergies, brittle finger nails, dilated blood vessels on cheeks and nose, acne, iron deficiency, parasites, candida albicans proliferation, nausea after taking nutritional supplements.

Conditions that have been linked with Hypochlorhydria include: Celiac disease, Addisons Disease, Asthma, Eczema, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Hives, Psoriasis, Rosacea, Osteoporosis.

(this info is from Open Original Shared Link

[jasonD2]

Yeah I feel i might be deficient in vitamins, but any type of supplement really gives me problems...even in liquid form. right now i get my vitamins from my diet and since i am lactose intolerant i get my calcium and Vit D from fortified rice milk.

As for the SCD diet, there is just no way I can cut out carbs...im already too think and lost weight after going gluten-free and DF. Carbs dont really make me feel bad like some people, its the other foods that I listed that give me the problems.

And i do take dig enzymes as well..Biogest has HCL and proteases as well as bile

[Mother of Jibril]

IMO, carbs are really overrated as a source of nutrients and calories. They can be stored easily (which makes them cheap and well-suited to heavy processing), but until about 15,000 years ago humans lived off meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts, fermented dairy products, and a few simple sugars like honey. Healthy fats (fish, lean meat, nuts, avocados) could give you a lot of calories and help you gain some weight! If you're intolerant to most carbs, eating them will give you the opposite effect... malnutrition and weight loss.

I realize that it can be a BIG change to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts and meat and less carbs... carbs are everywhere and they're very addictive. My dad and sister are really picky eaters... my dad practically lives off peanut butter sandwiches. BUT... if you're really desperate to change, then I think you should give it a try. You don't have to approach it as an all-or-nothing, life-altering change. It's an experiment An experiment that will hopefully improve your health so much you don't want to go back to carbs.

By the way... it's very important to think about things you CAN eat and plan ahead so you don't feel deprived. If you wait until the last minute to eat (when you're really hungry!) carbs are SO horribly tempting.

[jasonD2]

I can't eat nuts cause they constipate me and i try to not eat too much fish cause of heavy metals..usually limit myself to 1-2 servings per week. maybe ill try to reduce my carb intake, but i dont think i can eliminate them completely...i know my body....i will start loosing weight and i hate being thin

[Mother of Jibril]

If you can heal a little bit you might be able to eat nuts again. Some intolerances occur just because your intestines are injured. Like dairy products, for example... a lot people with celiac disease have problems with lactose intolerance, but after a few months they start making the enzyme lactase again and dairy is OK.

Mercury in fish IS a valid concern... that's why I primarily eat wild-caught salmon. The brand I get is certified mercury-free. What about other meats? Eggs? Coconut? Avocado?

By the way... I don't think you have to eliminate carbs completely. A lot of people can tolerate rice. And what about the fruits and vegetables? Dried fruits and fruit juice have a lot of concentrated calories.

[jasonD2]

So which carbs would i need to avoid...potatoes? yams? Can i still eat brown rice and quinoa? also from an IBS standpoint you need to balance each meal with insoluble fiber, which is present in rice and potatoes. i rely on this mostly since fiber supplements bloat me up

as for eggs i tested severely allergic to them and only eat on occasion..they dont make me ill, but on a subclinical level couldve been contributing to my problems. regarding dairy im both lactose and casein intolerant and tested severly allergic as well...ive been gluten-free for a year and still cannot tolerate any dairy, so im sure thats a life long thing i will have to deal with

Avocados seem to be ok and coconuts dont sit well with me and cause bloating, spasms and constipation which sucks cause there are a lot of dairy alternatives which contain coconut milk and i cant even eat them. i also love thai food and now cant eat it anymore

Are fruits allowed on the SCD diet...its all sugar?

Another thing....i have an insane appetite and eating protein and vegetables all day is gonna drive me insane.

[Mother of Jibril]

I think you're a good case for the point that everyone is different

Casein intolerance IS a big stumbling block for the SCD diet... it means you can't have cheese or yogurt, which are in a LOT of recipes in "Breaking the Vicious Cycle."

So... here's what I would recommend. As far as grains go, I would keep eating rice (especially brown rice for the fiber) as long as it doesn't seem to be doing you any harm. Do try quinoa and some of the other unusual grains like wild rice, millet, buckwheat (which is NOT related to wheat), teff, etc... Corn and potatoes have a lot of starch so you might want to go easy on them, but it's not like gluten where you need to avoid them 100% (unless you have a true allergy). Sweet potatoes and yams are a nice alternative to potatoes. Some people have a problem with tapioca (which is the same thing as cassava), but I would give that a try too. IMO, it's better to be really strict about the foods that you definitely know are a problem (gluten, dairy) instead of trying to eliminate a lot of different foods. It just gets too complicated... and that could lead to cheating.

All types of fruit are allowed on the SCD as long as they don't have sulfites (like some dried fruits) or added sugar. For example, pineapple canned "in it's own juice" is fine, but avoid it if it has corn syrup.

I really think the fact that you have an "insane appetite" is a good thing! I'm sure it makes you feel a bit crazy, but it could mean that your body is finally healing and trying to get as many nutrients as possible.

[jasonD2]

thank you for your advice...very much appreciated :-)

[Amber M]

How am I supposed to heal my insides if im sensitive to every single supplement/herb i take? certain foods give me pressure headaches, fatigue and heart palpitations...usually spices, fermented foods, preservatives, citrus and other things. the problems is that I get the same reaction when i take most supplements. i just started taking George's aloe juice and even 1 tablespoon produces the same reaction. i usually do best when i just avoid supplements, but i feel like i should be making an effort to support my health in addition to eating a healthy diet. does anyone else have this problem? the only supplement that i can tolerate is Biogest, but everything else either constipates me or gives the the headaches. should i just keep taking the supplements that support GI health even though they make me feel lousy? are they still helping?

Just butting in a bit. I had lots of the same problems and was taking an "acid reducer" because of it, when I discoverd that its long term use was disasterous to the stomach and to digesting my food properly. Just a quick mention to make sure your not on acid reducers instead of some kind of digestive enzyme. I switched to "Digest" by Enzamedica. It has changed for the better finally. Just wanted to metion it just in case. No crapy additives of an kind either. Good luck.

[ShayFL]

Have you heard of the IBS Low Starch Diet?

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