Hep C Discussion Forum

marcos828 · Member

Fretting Over Everything? Anyone?

Tig · Admin

You should definitely eat a balanced diet during and after treatment. Everything you eat and drink is filtered through the liver and kidneys. We all snack, but people that eat poorly, drink alcohol and hydrate improperly aren't doing a sick liver any favors at all. During treatment you will need to follow some guidelines related to these issues.

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justagirl · Member

so do u think that if u eat junk food or just what you eat on a reg basis it will make your liver worse? or mess with the treatment?

The Dude · Senior Member

I'm of to bed but had a quick check on da forum, noticed dis thread. Dunno whether I'd call it Fretting [kno wot u mean tho] I think a massive problem with TX is diet. In the West we eat s/h/i/t/e & people are not aware of how big a role yor diet plays in ones well being. A lot of people could also struggle due to eating disorders. I kno it's off topic but dis kinda input education before Tx could improve peoples success rate in my view.

I read the ingredients on everting I buy, you try an find toothpaste without sugar in the ingredients hidden under sucrose or sum other name sinc sugar comes in many forms..Unreal oh well on with our lives namaste The Dude furious

Nadine · Senior Member

I actually think that if you are going to do treatment (along with any other time in your life of course) you should optimize your nutrition so that you are supporting your immune system and your GI tract and your brain etc. etc. with the nutrients they need.

I think they should tell everyone to start on cod liver oil capsules at least 3 months prior to treatment to protect against depression.

You should start taking some sort of probiotics to heal and optimize your GI track function and continue throughout tx.

Of course there are other ways to boost your immune function but those just happen to spring to mind.

Just cause there doensn't seem to be any studies out there doesn't mean they have not been done on something else, some other chemotherapy that can also apply to combo tx.

AND remember doctors are medical care providers not health care providers, they are not even required to take nutrition classes in med school although I think that is changing.

While on treatment people especially need to eat a very good diet of a variety of whole real foods, there's a battle going on and your body wants to win it so give it every chance possible.

more later.
luvya!
nadine

nikki · Senior Member

E NUMBERS

Good:

E100 - CURCUMIN: A natural yellow colour extracted from turmeric roots. Research at the University Of California found it slows brain changes associated with dementia. It could explain why Alzhheimer's is rare in India where turmeric is routinely added to food.

E101 - RIBOFLAVIN: Vitamin B2 by another name, also used to add a yellow coulour to foods. It is essential for healthy skin, nails, hair growth and for regulating the thyroid. It aslo protects against cataracts. E101a is B2 in soluble form.

E140 - CHLOROPHYLL: This is the green compound plants use to turn light into energy. Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon in the US believe it may block some cancer-causing agents. It also helps wounds to heal faster.

E160a - CAROTENE: The body turns this orange plant chemical into vitamin A, essential for healthy skin and the immune system. It also helps vision in dim light, justifying the old wives' tale that carrots are good for your eyes.

E160c - PAPRIKA: Research by the US Department Of Agriculture found this colouring, made from red peppers is a beter source of disease-fighting antioxidants than most fruit and vegetables.

E160d - LYCOPENE: The plant chemical that gives tomatoes their colour. The US Food And Drug Administration recently warned it is not a cancer cure-all but confirmed there is "limited evidence" it reduces the risk of prostate, ovarian, gastric and pancreatic cancers.

E161b - LUTEIN: This yellow antioxidant is found in egg yolk and many plants. It is important for healthy skin and eyes. Researchers at the University Of Southern California found it helps keep arteries clear and prevents the clogging associated with heart disease.

E162 - BETANIN: A purplle colouring made from beetroot. Another antioxidant, it helps counter the free radicals that cause cell damage.

E300 - ASCORBIC ACID: Better known as Vitamin C, it is essential for the immune system, growth, healthy teeth, gums, bones, skin and blood vessels. It is also important for the absorption of iron. E301 and E302 are other forms of vitamin C.

E306 - TOCOPHEROL: E306 - E309 are all forms of vitamin E, an important antioxidant. It enhances reproductive health and stalls skin damage. A study presented at the World Alzheimer's Congress found a link between higher levels and good memory.

E322 - LECITHIN: It contains choline, a chemical that protects the liver and reduces the fattiness associated with heavy drinking, according to research at the US Northwestern University.

E401 - LOCUST GUM: Also known as carob, this form of fibre is an effective natural laxative.

E412 - GUAR GUM: This fibre can ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and colitis. Research presented to the American Heart Associaton found it lowers "lousy" LDL cholesterol.

BAD:

E120 - COCHINEAL: A red colouring unsuitable for vegetarians as it's made from crushed insects. Some people are allergic to it.

E131 - PATENT BLUE V: Used in plaque-disclosing tablets, it can cause skin reactions.

E161 - CANTHAXANTHIN: Sometimes fed to hens to produce eggs with bright yoks. High doses can cause light sensitivity.

E621 - MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE: This flavour enhancer, widely used in Chinese food, can cause headaches in some people and is banned from infant foods.

E952 - CYCLAMATE: After studies linking it to bladder cancer, it was banned by the US Food And Drug Administration in 1970. It was also banned in the UK for more than 30 years. But the FDA is reconsidering their ban and it was lifted here in the 1990's. The Food Standards Agency advises that young children should have no more than three beakers of soft drink containing cyclamate each day.

tchampagne · Member

The fretting - I really try not to get obsessed, because there's no end. It can go on & on. Even my doctor can't monitor my biocellular levels where I read about various things binding to various molecules in unpronouncable areas of my brain & body. I am still on tx, but I expect to be more careful of my eating after. I don't need so much food, and the simpler, fresher, more basic, the better. I literally can't stomach even organic processed foods. I imagine they put various organic stabilizers etc. I feel myself being way more sensitive to everything. That could be good if I don't eliminate too many things.

Anna, I see you are on Kauai. When I went to Maui, there was the most fabulous vegan restaurant in the town of Paia I think. I love the taste of vegan cooking, but haven't been able to reproduce it myself, and I also still feel I need some meat & fish, but not much. I'm curious about the "tofu controversy." I don't keep up on most news, because it's too much to keep track of and usually too depressing. I wait to hear from other people. I haven't heard anything about tofu, which I love. Are we talking GMO soy?

For deodorant, I have used the salt rock from France for many years. If I shower every day, I can sweat up a storm and still not stink. I notice that if I eat lots of meat I get very stinky and need to shower daily, but when eating veggies, I can go quite some time w/out shower depending on how physically active I am. I haven't used aloe vera for deodorant, but have friends who drink a mild juice of it and say it is beneficial to digestion. I haven't tried it because I'm trying to keep it simple right now. Maybe give that a try after tx.

I have just started taking extra folic acid in hopes that it will help my anemia. I can't take any iron. I'm overloaded. May have to start procrit injection if the folate doesn't work.

I agree what we consume & use affects us greatly. We are living in a very toxic world. Kauai sounds like a good place to be. Juices, sugars and caffeine are problematic for me right now, but I still manage to force down some chocolate occasionally.

nick · Veteran Member

Hi - just to clarify - I eat no processed food, but can be prone to overdo the chocolate at times! I suspect the reason why I don't fret too much is that my eting habits are generally satisfactory and fairly ingrained.

What would have really put me off would have been if someone told me that for treatment to work, I would need to totally change my habits - no choclate and cakes, no red meat, no foods with fat in etc etc.

I think the standard healthy diet is perfectly adequate, and if people choose to take their healthy eating habits even further, that's fine!

Anna · Senior Member

Good to know I'm not the only one who frets! Misery loves company.

My funny diet story is that I discovered the "Blood Type Diet" at my vet's office when my kitty was sick. The vet had the book displayed at the reception desk and evidently his brother wrote it. It was a California moment - trying a diet I got from my vet. My husband (then boyfriend) and I determined our blood types and tried to follow the guidelines. The principle is that your blood type determine what foods you can eat. If I remember it correctly, O's are omnivores (my blood type) and A's are agriaians (husband's blood type). Problem is I want to be a vegetarian and my husband wants to be an omnivore. I think we lasted a week on this one but it was an interesting experience.

Yeah, I got to get a juicer. The industrial kind! So far my favorite juice is carrot, ginger, coconut and lime. Also, they have shots of aloe/ginger/lemon and turmeric/ginger. All fun.

Lau, your meal thing sounds awesome.

Nick, I just want to be as healthy as possible before TXing and I think the wrong food can definitely make you sick. When you are actually TXing, your body is going thru so much and I think you're probably right, food probably has little or no impact.

Hope, Your avatar makes me laugh, I always have to make sure there's no arm really coming out of your neck. That's the same problem I'm having with my DO, start off great but wears off quickly. If you find something you like, please let me know. I need one.

Nadine, I agree 100% with all you've said. I think you should come to Kauai because you'd fit right in. They might even think your too conservative. BTW, I was thinking of you the other day when we had a big rain storm here because I told you in another thread how much I missed weather. It's so nice to see rain, big rain!

Anna.

Nadine · Senior Member

Oh I forgot to ask, Lau does she have a website? I have been wanting to get into a field like that and away from writing and the computer........???

Nadine · Senior Member

What makes me fret is the thought of being stuck somewhere and having to eat processed food. I hate it, and I have done tons and tons of research for someone else's book on the toxic diet of the US, so I can back up how toxic it is with the 3 file boxes I have full of research papers.

So I usually make something to bring places, I want to be healthy pure and simple. And my editor cracked me up because he told me you know those women in Indiana don't want to eat bean sprouts....I told him, I hate bean sprouts.....whole real food isn't boring or kooky!!!!

I think eating healthy has a really bad rap in some ways it's a pejorative to be called a health nut, I don't care......

I think the closer you get to whole real food the better off you are in every single way. I have friends younger than me who look 70 cause they eat processed food and don't drink water etc. I can just imagine what they look like on the inside.

OK rant over.....but yeah on the deodorant too, sheesh slathering chemicals on your body, no way! if you eat pure food you don't have BO probs and other things, as much.

hope · Member

Im also a bit obsessive bout what I eat. I had my gallbladder out when I was 16 and told not to eat too much fat bit hard when youre a teenager and all your mates are eating Wimpys and milkshakes.

Ive got an industrial juicer the one thats used by the famous coffee shop chain. Was mega expensive it was a present off my mum I use it all the time. It extracts all the fibre out of the fruit and veg and is so easy to clean used to have a cheap one but never used it much mainly cause of the cleaning.. this one even makes soup you put it on high speed for 4 min. and the veg etc is heated as well as juiced.

Re: the deodorant tea tree is a good one.. has a really clean smell, when you first apply but wears off within a couple of minutes. Eat no red meat buts loads of atlantic salmon and mackerel. I love fish

nick · Veteran Member

I must be the odd one out.

When I was on tx, I was careful - mainly because of skin problems. I still tend to be quite cautious over toiletries etc.

In terms of food, I did look at quite a bit of research, and found that what you eat has little or no impact on treatment outcomes, so just ate what I fancied. Generally, that's a fairly standard healthy diet, with extra fruit cos i like fruit!

I've never worried too much about these sort of things!

Robert · Veteran Member

Hey Lau,

Is she married?

Robert

LaurieBluesGuy · Guru

Pre tx and during tx I was pretty obsessive, and I still have a lot better diet now.

I also found a local chef who will make anything you want with organic materials and deliver them to your door. Pre-cooked meals to put in the freezer, even soups - all natural.

A lot more expensive, but worth it in the long term methinks..

She even makes healthy snack bars out of natural ingredients, she's great in fact. She also does desserts and cheesecakes - all with no e-numbers, preservatives or anything like that.

It does get costly though. She only started out a few months ago and her business is booming, so there is definitely a market for more healthy eating.

Lau

nikki · Senior Member

I've heard of the blood type diet, but I haven't looked into it yet - cue google.
Let's hear the funny story, I love funny stories smile

I remember now, sorry, forgot you were in jucing heaven, not to mention destination heaven!! I know what you mean about the weight loss. I initially went onto the juice diet because after my thyroid was so heavily knackered by the tx, I put on just over a stone and was so sluggish and just generally listless, that I wanted something to mend my body and kick start my metabolism. It was fantastic, but the weight loss was a little too fast, if I hadn't had to juggle the things going on in my private life (another reason I was trying to get healthy) I would have been able to tweak the regime to suit. I keep promising myself I'm going to have another look at it and get going again, I still use part juce diet and part nomal, but need to stop with the comfort eating!! I've started boinging around on my kids trampoline as well. Trouble is, I can't stop laughing. All by myself. My head bobbing up and down over the fence. To the local park.
My favourite recipe has avacado, apple, lime, spinach, cellery, crushed ice and pineapple in it. It's so filling, and you mostly juice but part smoothy, so it's a real meal in a glass!!

Nikki xx

p.s. Get the recipe for the Hawaiian one, it sounds great.

Anna · Senior Member

Nikki,

As I mentioned before, I'm in Hawaii right now and experiencing the joys of juicing. There only one restaurant here that I can eat at, and I do, EVERY DAY! It's a vegan place but it's not boring. The cooks there really care and make amazing dishes. It is such a joy. They have this smoothie of carrot, ginger and coconut water with a pureed ice, it called a Jah Blahmmie. I wish I could send it in the mail to you. So, yes, I'm a juicing convert.

I had an experience like you when I did the macrobiotic diet, years ago. It completely regulated me, in every aspect of my life. It was really great but impossible to maintain because it's very strict. After being on it for a couple months, I did start to lose too much weight and people would tell me I started to look "grey". That's why I know I need animal protein, a few times a week. Ok, gotta ask, do you know of the Blood-Type Diet? It is pretty interesting. I have a funny story about how I first heard about this diet. I have studied so many diets (not ones to lose weight).

Anna.

-- Edited by Anna at 09:54, 2007-09-14

nikki · Senior Member

Because the aloe vera d.o. is a natural product, it is only a deoderant, not an anti-perspirant. So if you're a sweaty betty, then you may need padded armpits. biggrin

I only use virgin and extra virgin olive oil, but I have to have my cup of tea to get up in the morning and then a cup of coffee with brekky. The time I felt at my absolute best, full of zing, mind sharp as a razor, needing tonnes less sleep and just generally brimming over with health, was when I went on a juice diet. It was absolutely amazing. I have never felt so good in my life. The hardest thing to give up was my morning tetley, but after a couple of days, I didn't even want it!! It got me into fruit teas and away from dairy products. It was the juicemaster. But it wasn't a diet as such, more a change of lifestyle, and boy did it work. Trouble is I got ill, and then I got depressed and then I started to comfort eat, and the rest is history. weirdface

I'm not a veggy, so I never intended to only eat juice, but it put me off meat. You can follow his book and never eat meat of dairy. I don't have milk on my bran flakes or muesli any more, I juice golden delicious apples. It's lovely. Did you know you can even juice a banana!!
Oh god, here I go, don't get me started or I'll still be going tomorrow!!!

Nikki xx

Anna · Senior Member

Yeah, conventional deoderant is very bad! And, unfortunately, the natural one I use doesn't work so well when put the true test, so I'm in the market for a new one. I'll have to look into aloe vera.

Diet is so important to health. And there are a million reasons to be a vegan. With that said, I've found that I do need a high dosage of protein at least twice a week. If I could find a vegan way to get it, I would. I was devastated to hear the the tofu controversy (more public radio news). I spend hours shopping because I read every label. My big taboo is oil. Oil is very hard to digest and makes your liver (and gall bladder) work overtime. Obviously, hydrognated and partially hydrogenated oils are way worse than extra virgin olive oil (which is the only oil I use). It blows me away how virtually every "pre-made" product has these oils in them! I've seen it in ice cream!

Also, I don't take anything with caffeine (except yesterday when I had a very large coffee). And it's been harder to quit than alcohol! But there is a big reward. For the most part, I feel more physically balanced. When I do cheat, I pay for it. Last night I couldn't get to sleep until 3am.

This might end up being a long thread with my confessions of my obcession.

I don't think there is such a think as homeopathic painkillers but who knows. There's always yoga.

Anna.

p.s. Bev, your avatar make me laugh!

joystar · Veteran Member

I've certainly become more concerned with what I eat
I'm veggie anyway, but have become more keen on a vegan diet, more so really that the thought of ANY animal product inside me makes me feel physically sick...still struggling with the chocolate tho as I like my bournville, and ice cream....chunky monkey :o)...even started replacing all my leather shoes, as and when they wear out
As far as pills go...I'm also on fluoxetine and 2 types of antibiotics, along with the pain killers...don't know of alternatives for them
I'm currently trying to get through the next 5 mins painfree lol

tc x

nikki · Senior Member

Hi Anna,
I can absolutely relate. It's got worse since I had to stop tx. It feels as though if I don't take extra care of myself the hep might get worse. I don't use conventional deoderant either - the 1st thing they tell you when you go to the breast cancer clinic is to stop using deoderant!! That's why I've got so heavily into aloe vera, you can get absolutely everything made of the stuff!! It's anti inflamatory as well, so it's even good for stings etc.
I think it's only sensible too, why give your body even more to combat? I wont let any of my family wear anything new until I've washed the chemicals out of it. So much stuff can be soaked in through the skin.

Nikki xx

Anna · Senior Member

Does anyone else (who is not currently on Tx) fret over everything they put in or on their body? I've become obsessive. Some of this comes from listening to public radio where they talk about how everything is killing us and the government dosen't care, etc. I've trained myself to pay attention to all of this kind of news so if I hear floride is today's great evil, I throw away my toothpaste and buy one that doesn't have contain it. I eat only organic. I no longer use hair dye but henna from a very reputable eco-company. I use natural sun-screen. It's exhausting (and expensive) but I can't stop. Can you relate?

Anna.

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