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Post by SpringSummers on Mar 10, 2010 21:27:55 GMT -5
On raw food: From what little I've read, there are two camps on the subject; one that maintains that cooking food decreases the nutritional value or food, and the other that maintains that cooking increases the nutritional value of food. The truth is probably somewhere in between and probably varies depending on what you're talking about. And of course, there's the safety issue. I think that trying the raw food diet for your experiment, Monnie and Spring, would probably require the most preparation out of any of the ones that you will try. Most of what's for sale in the grocery store would be right out, including anything precooked, anything pasteurized, anything that requires cooking to be edible. Vegan raw food would be easier to do since most of the safety issues surround meat and animal products, but you'd, well, have to go vegan for two weeks, which may or may not appeal to you. If you wanted to try raw animal products, you'd need to find trusted local sources, and even then, something like raw milk is illegal in most states. On the plus side, you'd get to experiment with sprouting grains, which is something I've always wanted to do. And I do have many links, including recipes and food preparation ideas; however, my bookmarks are all a mess, so I can't really find them for you. A simple google-fu would probably find most of them pretty easily. Thanks, Liz. I did a bunch of googling, but it was mostly confusing. I know you have an interest in fodds, and thought maybe you had actually tried it and had some thoughts/hints. As I mentioned in my comment to Monnie's post on the blog, I don't intend to go 100% raw-foods (cause I don't want to go 100% vegan, and I'm not eating raw meats or dairy). But I do intend to raise my raw foods to around 75% of my diet for the two weeks, and see how I feel. I'm going with regular grocery-store raw nuts, fruits and veggies - and then adding a small serving of meat or beans (not raw!), a serving whole grain bread, and a serving of yogurt
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 10, 2010 21:48:50 GMT -5
On raw food: From what little I've read, there are two camps on the subject; one that maintains that cooking food decreases the nutritional value or food, and the other that maintains that cooking increases the nutritional value of food. The truth is probably somewhere in between and probably varies depending on what you're talking about. And of course, there's the safety issue. I think that trying the raw food diet for your experiment, Monnie and Spring, would probably require the most preparation out of any of the ones that you will try. Most of what's for sale in the grocery store would be right out, including anything precooked, anything pasteurized, anything that requires cooking to be edible. Vegan raw food would be easier to do since most of the safety issues surround meat and animal products, but you'd, well, have to go vegan for two weeks, which may or may not appeal to you. If you wanted to try raw animal products, you'd need to find trusted local sources, and even then, something like raw milk is illegal in most states. On the plus side, you'd get to experiment with sprouting grains, which is something I've always wanted to do. And I do have many links, including recipes and food preparation ideas; however, my bookmarks are all a mess, so I can't really find them for you. A simple google-fu would probably find most of them pretty easily. Thanks, Liz. I did a bunch of googling, but it was mostly confusing. I know you have an interest in fodds, and thought maybe you had actually tried it and had some thoughts/hints. As I mentioned in my comment to Monnie's post on the blog, I don't intend to go 100% raw-foods (cause I don't want to go 100% vegan, and I'm not eating raw meats or dairy). But I do intend to raise my raw foods to around 75% of my diet for the two weeks, and see how I feel. I'm going with regular grocery-store raw nuts, fruits and veggies - and then adding a small serving of meat or beans (not raw!), a serving whole grain bread, and a serving of yogurt I haven't really tried because of the amount of preparation required and all the skills you'd have to learn in order to have a truly varied diet and not just be eating nuts and veggies and fruits all the time. I sort of went along the path of least resistance, myself. Enthusiasts have put up a lot on information on the net about raw food "cooking," so I may try a recipe or two sometime, but I think I might be more likely to eat at a raw food restaurant or "cooked" by a raw foodist first before I try experimenting on my own.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:47:11 GMT -5
carried over from the main thread
[green]I said:
BTW, if anyone ever has any thoughts, rants, suggestions and so forth about doctors and patient care, I'd be interested to hear them, either now, later, on the board, via PM, etc. I'd like to kick around possible improvements in the back of my head as I go along.[/green]
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:47:44 GMT -5
Julia said:
Just one to speak of, but it's a big one: doctors who confuse "unusual/low probability/rare" with "never happens."
Because "1% of cases" means you're probaby going to see three cases a year, not none ever.
Julia, this is particularly true of drug reactions, with the proviso that people who have one bad reaction are more probable to have another, and not less so.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:52:08 GMT -5
Lola said:
I guess . . . it's best when the doctor doesn't make assumptions about the patient or their life, before really listening.
Which is rather vague, yeah. But key to good care, I'm thinking.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:52:50 GMT -5
Karen said:
Much like Julia, many doctors (as been my experience) don't think outside the box often enough, and if they honestly don't have a clue about the diagnosis, then it would be good if they referred the patient to another doctor sooner than later.
Communication is the key. With everything, I guess.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:53:17 GMT -5
Be said:
thoughts about doctors: depression doesn't explain everything; sometimes everything explains depression.
there was something on the internet about how most psych health stuff goes to GPs first but GPs aren't picking it up. That's a Thing.
also, when I go to a doctors place with a written list of all everything I need to say, why do I need to say it and not just show them? I don't know, but it always ends up I have to say out loud and only get the top thing said. And then they say things out loud to me and I only remember the top thing. Writing is much more efficient.
also I hate it when I go with a helper, like a someone to drive because I'm ill, and the doctor talks to them and not me. once I went with my mum and the doctor asked her about my contraceptives. I do not understand the thought process that went into that. the nurse made sure to ask me when mum wasn't listening, the (male) doctor went and asked my mum. I was 29 and hadn't even lived with her for a decade and really (it was because antibiotics make a mess of some things. But really, )
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Mar 29, 2010 16:53:54 GMT -5
Rachael said:
So, on the "patient care" front -
Not sure how much of this will be useful to Liz, but a few examples, from my Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, of what NOT to do.
We arrived at Urgent Care at 8:00, and saw the doctor around 8:30 (not bad). The doctor measured Em's O2 sat (98% at that point), but then muttered darkly about her respiratory rate and vacillated for TWO HOURS about what to do next. Does she send us home, or to the hospital. And the truly annoying part: SHE KEPT ASKING US FOR OUR OPINION. As in, "Well, I don't know...if you were comfortable taking her home, I might be okay letting you go for the night. Gee, if it was earlier in the day, I'd tell you to take her home and watch her, but it's so late now...what do you think?"
IF I KNEW WHAT TO DO, WOULD I BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, SILLY WOMAN?
So, Em fell asleep, and her breathing slowed, finally. The doctor was encouraged by that, and decided to measure her oxygen again, and send us home if it was good.
85%. NOT good. Life-threatening, even, if it persists for too long. As soon as she stopped panting, she stopped being able to oxygenate her blood.
So, they called the hospital, arranged a bed for her, and arranged for a pediatrician to meet us at the ER to admit her, and called an ambulance. Which took over an hour to arrive. At this point, the baby is roughly four hours past her bedtime.
We arrived at the ER - no doctor. No one who had any idea there was supposed to BE a pediatrician waiting for us. Emily got the same set of tests again (all the while, I'm holding an oxygen mask over her face), plus a chest X-ray and a really awful swab into her sinuses for the RSV test. (Incidentally, during the hyperventilating crying over THAT, we're pretty sure she said her first word, which was "mama!")
So, two hours later, no one has talked to us in over an hour, and we're the only ones left in the ER. Still no doctor. It's now 2 a.m. When I go to demand an explanation (and, yes, at this point, "demand" is the right word), they say, and I'm not kidding, "Hey, does anyone know anything about Bed 2?" No one remembered we were there, and STILL no one knew we were supposed to be admitted.
I had a little, well-controlled explosion, which got us admitted within the hour, and also got her frickin' ER doc back to us with her test results.
Finally, the pediatrician we'd been supposed to see (who, as it turned out, had a kid in crisis to deal with) checked Emily out and let us all go to sleep. Oh, and the children's ward at El Camino Hospital? Has nowhere for parents to sleep in a baby's room. They seemed to think we'd leave.
Also, they expressed real surprise that I'm still breastfeeding at six months, and were somewhat distressed that I wouldn't pump into bottles for them so they could measure her intake directly. I made them weigh her diapers instead to prove she wasn't dehydrated.
Also, the pediatric nurse didn't know what a hemangioma was.
I was unimpressed on many levels, and we had a baby up until 4 a.m.
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Post by Karen on Mar 30, 2010 16:06:50 GMT -5
Bloody hell, Rachael. Your ER sounds a bit like ours. Whenever my mom goes to the ER (and it's been a while, xfingers) she always gets good care because she bitches up a storm. You shouldn't have to do that to be heard. Squeaky wheel and all, I guess.
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Post by Karen on Mar 30, 2010 16:07:58 GMT -5
Found this website and diet I hadn't heard of before, but which sounds very reasonable and good. Eat Clean Diet
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 2, 2010 10:17:36 GMT -5
Found this website and diet I hadn't heard of before, but which sounds very reasonable and good. Eat Clean DietI dunno, I'm kind of suspicious. The principles are sound (though extremely vague) and the recipes are OK, but the website strikes me more a marketing campaign (Buy my book to find out more!) than informational. It's all style and no substance. And what substance is there is not original, it's just gathered together and tied with a shiny bow and sold for a profit.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 8, 2010 12:47:46 GMT -5
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 8, 2010 12:50:03 GMT -5
Comprehensive Elimination Diet
The Comprehensive Elimination Diet is a dietary program designed to clear the body of foods and chemicals you may be allergic or sensitive to, and, at the same time, improve your body’s ability to handle and dispose of these substances. We have called this an “Elimination Diet” because we will be asking you to remove certain foods, and food categories, from your diet. The main rationale behind the diet is that these modifications allow your body’s detoxification machinery, which may be overburdened or compromised, to recover and begin to function efficiently again. The dietary changes help the body eliminate or “clear” various toxins that may have accumulated due to environmental exposure, foods, beverages, drugs, alcohol, or cigarette smoking. In our experience, we have found this process to be generally well tolerated and extremely beneficial. We obviously hope that you will find it useful too. There is really no “typical” or “normal” response. A person’s initial response to any new diet is highly variable, and this diet is no exception. This can be attributed to physiological, mental, and biochemical differences among individuals; the degree of exposure to, and type of “toxin;” and other lifestyle factors. Most often, individuals on the elimination diet report increased energy, mental alertness, decrease in muscle or joint pain, and a general sense of improved well-being. However, some people report some initial reactions to the diet, especially in the first week, as their bodies adjust to a different dietary program. Symptoms you may experience in the first week or so can include changes in sleep patterns, lightheadedness, headaches, joint or muscle stiffness and changes in gastrointestinal function. Such symptoms rarely last for more than a few days. We realize that changing food habits can be a complex, difficult and sometimes confusing process. It doesn’t have to be, and we think that we have simplified the process with diet menus, recipes, snack suggestions and other information to make it a “do-able” process. Peruse this information carefully. If you have any questions about the diet, or any problems, please give us a call. We would be happy to help, and often we can resolve the issue quickly.
Bon apétit!
Introduction to the Menu Plan for the Comprehensive Elimination Diet
Eat only the foods listed under “Foods to Include”, and avoid those foods shown under “Foods to Exclude” in the “Comprehensive Elimination Diet Guidelines.” These Guidelines are intended as a quick overview of the dietary plan. If you have a question about a particular food, check to see if it is on the food list. You should, of course, avoid any listed foods to which you know you are intolerant or allergic. We also may change some of these guidelines based upon your personal health condition and history.
The “7-Day Menu Plan” may be used "as is" or as a “starting point.” This is a suggested menu that you might find useful while you are on the elimination diet. Feel free to modify it and to incorporate your favorite foods, provided that they are on the accepted list.
A few suggestions which may be of help: You may use leftovers for the next days' meal or part of a meal, e.g., leftover broiled salmon and broccoli from dinner as part of a large salad for lunch the next day. It may be helpful to cook extra chicken, sweet potatoes, rice, and beans, etc. that can be reheated for snacking or another meal. Most foods on the menu plan freeze quite well. Please add extra vegetables and fruits as needed. The menu is a basic one and needs your personal touch. This is not a calorie-restricted diet. Use the suggested snacks as needed for hunger or cravings; leftovers are also handy to eat as snacks. If you are a vegetarian, eliminate the meats and fish and consume more beans and rice, quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, and buckwheat. Breakfasts that need cooking are easiest to incorporate on your days off. Muffins can all be made ahead of time, frozen, and used as needed. If you are consuming coffee or other caffeine containing beverages on a regular basis, it is always wise to slowly reduce your caffeine intake rather than abruptly stop it; this will prevent caffeine-withdrawal headaches. For instance, try drinking half decaf/half regular coffee for a few days, then slowly reduce the total amount of coffee. Select fresh foods whenever you can. If possible, choose organically grown fruits and vegetables to eliminate pesticide and chemical residue consumption. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Read oil labels; use only those that are obtained by a “cold pressed” method. If you select animal sources of protein, look for free-range or organically raised chicken, turkey, or lamb. Trim visible fat and prepare by broiling, baking, stewing, grilling, or stir-frying. Cold-water fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel, and halibut) is another excellent source of protein and the omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are important nutrients in this diet. Fish is used extensively. If you do not tolerate fish, consult with us. We may suggest supplemental fish oils. Avoid shellfish, as it may cause allergic reaction. Remember to drink the recommended amount (at least two quarts) of plain, filtered water each day. Strenuous or prolonged exercise may be reduced during some or the entire program to allow the body to heal more effectively without the additional burden imposed by exercise. Adequate rest and stress reduction is also important to the success of this program.
Finally, anytime you change your diet significantly, you may experience such symptoms as fatigue, headache, or muscle aches for a few days. Your body needs time as it is "withdrawing" from the foods you eat on a daily basis. Your body may crave some foods it is used to consuming. Persevere. Those symptoms generally don’t last long, and most people feel much better over the next couple of weeks.
Good luck!
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 8, 2010 12:56:50 GMT -5
Comprehensive Elimination Diet GuidelinesFOODS to INCLUDE | FOODS to EXCLUDE | Fruits: whole fruits, unsweetened, frozen or water-packed, canned fruits and diluted juices | Oranges and orange juice | Dairy substitutes: rice, oat, and nut milks such as almond milk and coconut milk | Dairy and eggs: milk, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, frozen yogurt, non-dairy creamers | Non-gluten grains and starch: brown rice, oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca buckwheat, potato flour | Grains: wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, triticale | Animal protein: fresh or water-packed fish, wild game, lamb, duck, organic chicken and turkey | Pork, beef/veal, sausage, cold cuts, canned meats, frankfurters, shellfish | Vegetable protein: split peas, lentils, and legumes | Soybean products (soy sauce, soybean oil in processed foods; tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, textured vegetable protein) | Nuts and seeds: walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, nut butters such as almond or tarini | Peanuts and peanut butter | Vegetables: all raw, steamed, sautéed, juiced or roasted vegetables | Corn, creamed vegetables | Oils: cold pressed olive, flax, safflower, sesame, almond, sunflower, walnut, canola, pumpkin | Butter, margarine, shortening, processed oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and spreads | Drinks: filtered or distilled water, decaffeinated herbal teas, seltzer or mineral water | Alcohol, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, soda pop or soft drinks | Sweeteners: brown rice syrup, agate nectar, stevia, fruit sweetener, blackstrap molasses | Refined sugar, white/brown sugars, honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice | Condiments: vinegar, all spices, including salt, pepper, basil, carob, cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, turmeric | Chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, teriyaki, and other condiments |
Things to watch for: Corn starch in baking powder and any processed foods Corn syrup in beverages and processed foods Vinegar in ketchup, mayonnaise & mustard is usually from wheat or corn Breads advertised as gluten-free which contain oats, spelt, kamut, rye Many amaranth and millet flake cereals have oats or corn Many canned tunas contain textured vegetable protein which is from soy; look for low-salt versions which tend to be pure tuna, with no fillers Multi-grain rice cakes are not just rice. Purchase plain rice cakes. READ ALL INGREDIENT LABELS CAREFULLY
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 8, 2010 13:05:06 GMT -5
Elimination Diet Shopping List
Fruits Apples, applesauce Apricots (fresh) Bananas Blackberries Blueberries Cantaloupe Cherries Coconut Figs (fresh) Grapefruit Huckleberries Kiwi Kumquat Lemon, lime Loganberries Mangos Melons Mulberries Nectarines Papayas Peaches Pears Prunes Raspberries Strawberries * All the above fruit can be consumed raw or juiced
Vegetables Artichoke Asparagus Avocado Bamboo shoots Beets & beet tops Bok choy Broccoflower Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Bell peppers Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chives Cucumber Dandelion greens Eggplant Endive Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce -- red or green leaf & Chinese Mushroom Okra Onions Pak-Choi Parsley Potato Red Leaf Chicory Sea Vegetables – seaweed, kelp Snow peas Spinach Squash Sweet potato & yams Swiss chard Tomato Watercress Zucchini * All the above vegetables can be consumed raw, juiced steamed, sautéed, or baked
Non-Gluten Grains Amaranth Millet Oat Quinoa Rice -brown, white, wild Teff Buckwheat
Vinegars Apple Cider Balsamic Red Wine Rice Tarragon Ume Plum
Herbs, Spices & Extracts Basil Black pepper Cinnamon Cumin Dandelion Dill Dry mustard Garlic Ginger Nutmeg Oregano Parsley Rosemary Salt-free herbal blends Sea salt Tarragon Thyme Turmeric Pure vanilla extract
Cereals & Pasta Cream of rice Oats Puffed rice Puffed millet Quinoa flakes Rice pasta 100% buckwheat noodles Rice crackers
Breads & Baking Arrowroot Baking soda Rice bran Gluten free breads Flours: rice, teff, quinoa, millet, tapioca, amaranth, garbanzo bean, potato, tapioca Rice flour pancake mix Mochi
Flesh Foods
Free-range chicken, turkey, duck Fresh ocean fish, e.g. - Pacific salmon, halibut, haddock, cod, sole, pollock, tuna, mahi-mahi Lamb Water-packed canned tuna (watch for added protein from soy) Wild game
Dairy Substitutes Almond Milk Rice Milk Coconut Milk Oat milk
Beverages Herbal tea (non- caffeinated) Mineral water Pure unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices Spring water
Oils Almond Flax Seed Canola Olive Pumpkin Safflower Sesame Sunflower Walnut
Sweeteners Fruit sweetener (Mystic lake Dairy, or Wax Orchards, or apple juice concentrate) Agave nectar Molasses Rice syrup Stevia
Condiments Mustard- (made with apple cider vinegar) Nutritional yeast
Beans All beans except soy Lentils - brown, green, red Split peas
* All the above beans can be dried or canned
Nuts & Seeds
Almonds Cashews Flax seeds Hazelnuts (Filberts) Pecans Pistachios Poppy seeds Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds Walnuts
*All the above seeds can be consumed as butters and spreads (e.g., tahini)
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