Raw Food Diet Anyone?

[Maz]

[user=2713]Valsmum[/user] wrote:

By the way,I'm new to the Bulletin Board. I'm on my second week of minocycline for RA.  I noticed diet does play a big part in some of the stories I read recently on the Road Back personal stories log.

 

Hi Valsmum,

A warm welcome to you and so nice to meet you :), but sorry you had to seek us out.

Have you subscribed to the Road Back quarterly eBulletin? The summer edition will be going out shortly and you just have to add your email address on the home pageof the main site and click submit for your free copy. These newsletters, including outreach, patient remission stories and research/articles related to infectious causes for rheumatic diseases, come via email and the email addresses are not used for anything but the eBulletin subscription, so kept entirely private. This next edition will include an article by a Family Nurse Practitioner who treats with AP in CO, has RA herself and is sharing info on how diet has helped her. Just thought you might be interested to read this article. The eBulletin should be blasted out to all subscribers within the next week or two.

Peace, Maz 

[nord]

[user=30]lynnie_sydney[/user] wrote: 

Trouble with staying away from red meat is that you are then likely to be lacking in iron……..and low iron levels are very common in people with rheumatoid disease. My AP doc has told me I have to eat red meat at least 3 times a week for the iron. I do and this doesnt impact inflammation for me, though there are other things that do. Lynnie

There are good alternative to red meat that contain more iron (even if some are more difficultly absorbed), and looking for agents that promote absorption , and those that inhibit it is as important (it can more than half or double the absorption). Hen and chicken are higher in iron than beef and pork (certainly not for raw diet though!), but turkey is “red”. Many other sources too, like some good veggies (kale, spinach, beans) and some seafood (oysters, mussels :spelling?).

Cpn depletes iron, and can induce secondary porphyria, which red meat worsens.

Edit: spelling errors

[Carrie-RA]

I have a handful of spinach every day in a green smoother and usually again at dinner in a salad (1 cup). Hopefully that'll do the trick.

[nord]

Spinach is also good as it contains vitamin c to some extent, improving iron absorption (don't know if it is sufficient to be optimal etc, though).

As I replied to the red meat point, there are also a lot to consider in a raw diet as cooking of different kinds alters food in several ways (both “good” and “bad”). It will be interesting to learn how you do on it! I've stayd away from “extreme” diets as it seems to be difficult to steer clear of different traps. However, I don't know if it is better to try to omit “bad” things and add “good” things (has been my style). Any benefits and problems are then appearing much more gradual and thus difficult to catch.:?

[Joe RA]

Although raw whould be better, the food does not have to be raw for one to get the needed nutritional benefits from it, it's more important to have a good veriety of food with essential vitamins and minerals for a healthier balance. Alot of the root veg's like garlic, ginger, beets, carrots are loaded with nutrition. One of the most complete foods one can eat is (Raw Milk) if they are lucky enough to get it, Not Pasteurized but (Real Raw Milk) striate from farm. It has all the enzymes, vitamins and minerals to sustain human life al by it's self. I know people who can not drink pasteurized milk because of lactose intolerance but they can tolerate drinking Real Raw Milk, my wife is one of them. Pasteurization destroys most of the beneficial bacteria that is naturally protectiveof any harmful bacteria that may be present in the raw milk. Learn more about raw milk, where to buy it , what is in raw milk, the benefits of it ,and much more.            Joe RA         http://www.raw-milk-facts.com    

[Jan Lucinda1]

[user=2031]nord[/user] wrote:

[user=30]lynnie_sydney[/user] wrote: 

Trouble with staying away from red meat is that you are then likely to be lacking in iron……..and low iron levels are very common in people with rheumatoid disease. My AP doc has told me I have to eat red meat at least 3 times a week for the iron. I do and this doesnt impact inflammation for me, though there are other things that do. Lynnie

There are good alternative to red meat that contain more iron (even if some are more difficultly absorbed), and looking for agents that promote absorption , and those that inhibit it is as important (it can more than half or double the absorption). Hen and chicken are higher in iron than beef and pork (certainly not for raw diet though!), but turkey is “red”. Many other sources too, like some good veggies (kale, spinach, beans) and some seafood (oysters, mussels :spelling?).

Cpn depletes iron, and can induce secondary porphyria, which red meat worsens.

Edit: spelling errors

Is the benefit of iron in red meat that it is easily absorbed?

[nord]

Jan Lucinda1 wrote:

Is the benefit of iron in red meat that it is easily absorbed?

It was Lynnie's AP doc that suggested having red meat three times a week for iron supply. Perhaps she has looked more into it. In the meantime, I'll throw in a bit of my (layman) understanding.

There are better alternatives to red meat (meat containing high levels of tryprophan; spelling?) for the reason of iron absorption. White meat (including white fish, tuna salmon etc are “red”) is as good source in terms of ease of absorption, and without the downsides of high tryprophan content. They are also higher in iron per energry content, and in the case of fish, contain good omega-3, and less saturated fat (that induce inflammation, e g of artery linings). The iron in veggies with high  content is a bit difficult for the body to get, (but one can eat more as they are low in energy content, and high in other goodies as a bonus). However absorption of iron from these, as well as from all sources, can be enhanced, and perhaps more importantly, inhibitors can be avoided.  Part of the red meat caution is specific to Cpn, but it seems a good bet to limit consumption for general health considerations (although three times a week is probably nothing to be concerned about if not having those specific concerns).

[Carrie-RA]

Udpate on my Raw Diet:

Hi everyone. I'm still doing the raw (mostly) vegan thing. I'm actually enjoying it. Learning all kinds of new uncooked recipes, etc. I'm not 100% and still have the occassional “normal” dinner–usually when there is a family celebration or something similar involved. But most of the day/week I'm raw.

I've lost about 7 pounds since the last week of Aug, but seem to be holding steady at this level, maybe because I've had to start Prednisone again.

Everyone who knows me and how much I LOVE food and especially dessert is shocked that I've been able to stick to this for even this little amount of time. I, too, and very surprised…but my cravings for sugar are gone. I'm truly amazed. I choose fruits/veggies that I love to eat and eat LOTS of them, so I'm content.

I'll keep you all posted on how this affects my pain levels. So far, it hasn't really helped much on that front. However, I know overall, it's a lot better than what I used to eat. Also, I've promised myself that I would occassionally go out for sushi–my fave which happens to be good for me as well. I figure that is a good compromise for me and my family (they aren't eating raw and have been more affected by my dietary change than I have cuz I'm not cooking crappy food every nite). If they want to go out, I can easily steer them toward a sushi restaurant with no complaints.

This week, I have my first appt with Dr. Z, the well-touted AB doc in Northern Va. I have high hopes that she can help (along with the new diet). I'll keep you all posted.

 -Carrie

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