Super food

[KatiePink]

Hi all

I wasn't sure where to post but seen as it's food :yesyes:

About a year ago my doctor suggested keeping a symptom diary, mainly for stomach problems and headaches, but just in general.

As well as using this i decided to get another one solely to list the food i had eaten that day(and drinks).
Pretty much straight away i saw a link between my symptoms and certain foods so i cut out certain things and a lot of what i was struggling with went away.

Flip side i increased certain things, and felt so much more healthier for it. I know it's clear food has a massive impact on our health as it's what feeds the body. But i was just so surprised by the results.
I still suffer a lot of symptoms, i have a few conditions, but most of my issues are definitely either created or made worse by stress and anxiety.

I cut out,

Fizzy drinks(headaches)
Sweetened drinks(headaches)
Certain crisps with msg(headaches)

I cut down,
White bread(Bloating, stomach issue's, tiredness)
Cheese(Same as above)
Pasta(same)
White potatoes(same)
Take outs(same)

I increased
Fish intake(Tuna ect)
Broccoli
Spinach
Garlic
Onions
Sweet potato
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
ect

I try and incorporate garlic and spinach into most meals, i can't eat raw spinach(well i could) but i don't like it,
Broccoli and Garlic are my best-est friends and they seem to help with any inflammatory issues i have.
After eating a meal with these ingredients i immediately feel the difference. Drinking more and more water makes me so much more alert and my muscles less tense and sore. Helps with some bowel problems too.

I also include as much Turmeric, spices, seasonings as i can in my meals. It helps that i have always loved cooking so i find all of this great, but even if you don't i really think it's worth looking into if you are suffering from physical symptoms.
It helped me to feel pro active and like i was doing something to make myself healthier.

:yesyes:

---------- Post added at 16:25 ---------- Previous post was at 16:24 ----------

P.S i forgot to mention as well as helping with all the above what i eat has an impact on my mood massively, tiredness, inability to think clearly, depression, anxiety, ect

[Fishmanpa]

My wife has stomach issues and did the same thing. It's helped her as well as myself.

Positive thoughts

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's a really good idea.

I have found certain foods give me headaches e.g. combining cheese with ham, which I found out was a migraine trigger. I separated them and my daily headaches improved a lot.

I've also found meal quantity plays a part too. Big meals really do make me feel rough. I've found that probiotics have resolved my GI side of this but big meals, especially potato ones, give me very strange swimming heads. Not like a headache.

How about kale instead of the spinach? I found kale was milder in taste than spinach and this makes it pretty versatile. I used to always bung a load in my nutriblast.

Turmeric is supposed to be good for various things. I know from doing some research on this that it can be low in curcumin, which is getting a lot of press and study, and the curcumin is so badly absorbed that it will only benefit the GI unless you combine it with piperine which is in black pepper. But a word of caution, piperine may interact with certain liver enzymes and inhibit some antidepressants in a similar way to what grapefruit does. It's less research than grapefruit from what I can see so it's hard getting to the bottom of it. (isn't it amazing how we don't get warned about foods with meds but we do with herbals? :doh:)

[Phuzella]

I'm the same with big potato meals. I assume it's the high carbs. :shrug:

[KatiePink]

That's a really good idea.

I have found certain foods give me headaches e.g. combining cheese with ham, which I found out was a migraine trigger. I separated them and my daily headaches improved a lot.

I've also found meal quantity plays a part too. Big meals really do make me feel rough. I've found that probiotics have resolved my GI side of this but big meals, especially potato ones, give me very strange swimming heads. Not like a headache.

How about kale instead of the spinach? I found kale was milder in taste than spinach and this makes it pretty versatile. I used to always bung a load in my nutriblast.

Turmeric is supposed to be good for various things. I know from doing some research on this that it can be low in curcumin, which is getting a lot of press and study, and the curcumin is so badly absorbed that it will only benefit the GI unless you combine it with piperine which is in black pepper. But a word of caution, piperine may interact with certain liver enzymes and inhibit some antidepressants in a similar way to what grapefruit does. It's less research than grapefruit from what I can see so it's hard getting to the bottom of it. (isn't it amazing how we don't get warned about foods with meds but we do with herbals? :doh:)

I'm confused a little at the Turmeric part but i'd like to know more, i use it quite often(mostly with black pepper anyway) I've heard all good about it but didn't know it was low in curcumin i thought it had lots or am i missing something ? :confused:


Turmeric

Overview

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been used for 4,000 years to treat a variety of conditions. Studies show that turmeric may help fight infections and some cancers, reduce inflammation, and treat digestive problems.

Many studies have taken place in test tubes and animals. Turmeric may not work as well in humans. Some studies have used an injectable form of curcumin, the active substance in turmeric, and not all studies agree. Finally, some of the studies show conflicting evidence.

Turmeric is widely used in cooking and gives Indian curry its flavor and yellow color. It is also used in mustard and to color butter and cheese. Turmeric has been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive and liver problems, skin diseases, and wounds.

Curcumin is also a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge molecules in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death. Antioxidants can fight free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.

In addition, curcumin lowers the levels of two enzymes in the body that cause inflammation. It also stops platelets from clumping together to form blood clots.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think it's quite low, around 5% of dry mass:

http://examine.com/supplements/Turmeric/

However, it's not very absorbable so it just goes through the GI system and does it's work there. But adding the piperine boosts it 2000%, as seen in a study, so perhaps that is where we get the increase? We are usually talking mg's anyway rather than g's I guess, it depends on how high you are going & why:

http://examine.com/supplements/Curcumin/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120

I've seen curcumin sold with these boosting methods applied in the pills, not the piperine addition though. They get a decent increase in bioavailability but not close to piperine.

The trouble with piperine though is that is could inhibit many drugs too. So, whilst I would like to give curcumin a try, I'm not sure on piperine because I really don't want my SNRI inhibited to mean it stays in my blood longer, hence becoming more potent as I keep adding more doses on top.

[bartin]

I have observed that potatoes, white race, white bread and pasta are kind of heavy for my stomach and make me tired somehow, so I'm glad that others have similar experiences. My explanation is that these are "quick carbs" that go into blood fast and cause excesive blood glucose fluctuation.

Turmeric has been studied a lot for its supposed anti-inflammatory effects, but overall there is not much evidence about its effects.

Here's one review of turmeric effects:
http://www.ehealthstar.com/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-anti-inflammatory-effects.php

Also, I wouldn't rely on turmeric when it comes to mental health...

[Carnation]

I was going to mention kale as well.
Tomatoes are bad for acid reflux.
Bananas settle my stomach.
Anything fried is not good.
Processed foods, like pies, and sausages and mince are bad for lots of things.