Lymenaide

Food sensitivity or food intolerance is another area of diet that we should all be aware of. It is important to note a few things before we get into it. First, while often referred to as food allergies, food sensitivity/intolerance is not the same as a true food allergy. Second food sensitivity is temporary and may change over time.

Again we find the problem is our leaky guts-

The most common cause of multiple food allergies, according to many allergies experts, is having a ‘leaky gut’ – increased intestinal permeability. Small openings can develop in the lining of the intestine, which allow large molecules of undigested or incompletely digested foods to enter the bloodstream. Our immune system sees these molecules as foreign invaders and produces antibodies against them.

When the immune system perceives foods as a foreign invader or potentially harmful, various defensive measures are triggered by the body. Some foods or protein products produced from those foods, may in fact be harmful or toxic to the human digestive and immune system. However, other times it may be a case of mistaken identity. Either way, the results of the body’s perception of a food or food protein as foreign can lead to production of various immunoglobulin antibodies (Ig) and the release of toxic chemicals from infection fighting cells. These chemicals are called “mediators”

Once these mediators are released, the inflammatory and pain-inducing effects of these chemicals give rise to the various symptoms that make us feel sick. The toxic effects of these chemical mediators can also cause damage to our bodies, not just in the gut, where their effects usually result in a leaky gut that predisposes to even more risk of food sensitivity and entry of bad bacteria and yeast into our body. When the mediators or foreign bacteria, yeast or food proteins, get into the blood stream they can travel to remote parts of the body resulting in damage and symptoms in the muscles, bones, nerves, brain, skin and glands.

So how do we find out if we have food sensitivities?

Step one of course should be to ask your doctor about what options he/she has for food sensitivity testing.

Some of the options out there are:

Blood testing
Muscle testing (ART or AK)
Electrodermal testing (BioSET)
Elimination diets
Keeping a food log

SOURCES-
http://thefooddoc.blogspot.com/2007/05/food-sensitivity-and-intolerance.html
http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/allergies.htm

Don’t forget to look at the Food Sensitivities topic on the Discussion Board for more information and experience about this topic.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lymenaide/137229171760?ref=sgm#/pages/Lymenaide/137229171760?v=app_2373072738&viewas=661871848&ref=sgm

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The Lyme Induced Autism Foundation (LIA) has joined with other leading health organizations to call on medical practitioners to prescribe diets free from all genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and urged individuals, especially those with autism, Lyme disease, and associated conditions, to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) foods.

Follow the link for the whole story from examiner.com, San Francisco:

Food Prescription: The Lyme Induced Autism Foundation prescribes 100% Non-GMO diet

-Wild Oats July/August 2007

Dressing:
2/3 cup light or soy-based mayonnaise
2 Tbs. coarse ground mustard
1 Tbs. honey
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Salad:
2 ½ cups diced poached chicken breasts
½ cup chopped cashews
½ cup chopped celery
3 Tbs. chopped red onion
3 Tbs. chopped Italian parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
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1. To make dressing: whisk together all ingredients.

2. To make salad: combine chicken, celery, cashews, onion, parsley and tarragon in a bowl. Toss with dressing

Serve this salad in butter lettuce leaf cups for an elegant lunch.

***Check your ingredients to make sure the products are really free of gluten, dairy and sugar.

A probiotic is an organism which contributes to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. A probiotic is also referred to as the “friendly”, “beneficial”, or “good” bacteria which when ingested acts to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight illness and disease.

The world is full of microorganisms (including bacteria), and so are people’s bodies—in and on the skin, in the gut, and in other orifices. Friendly bacteria are vital to proper development of the immune system, to protection against microorganisms that could cause disease, and to the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients. Each person’s mix of bacteria varies. Interactions between a person and the microorganisms in his body, and among the microorganisms themselves, can be crucial to the person’s health and well-being.

A healthy lower intestine should contain at least 85% friendly bacteria to prevent the over colonization of disease causing micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella. Our colon can maintain its health with 15% unfriendly bacteria, if the body contains at least 85% probiotic friendly bacteria.

The word “Probiotic” simply means “for life” which explains why these nutrients are so important. But if you want the proper scientific definition of a Probiotic here it is:
“A live microbial feed supplement, which beneficially affects the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance”

New research is establishing how important the supplementation of probiotics can be for a variety of conditions. Probiotics enhance the immune system by favorably altering the gut micro-ecology and preventing unfriendly organisms from gaining a foothold in the body. They prevent the overgrowth of yeast and fungus and produce substances that can lower cholesterol.

Probiotics are widely recommended for the treatment of Candida – a fungal infection – because they establish large, healthy populations of friendly bacteria that compete with the Candida that is trying to take up residence in the intestine. Probiotics are also essential in the treatment and prevention of thrush, vaginal yeast infections, and athlete’s foot. Good health depends fundamentally upon the more than 400 types of friendly, symbiotic bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract.

SOURCES-
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/probiotics.htm
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/probiotics/

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CALDA sent out a questionnaire yesterday on facebook. It was called “30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know”. I decided to fill it out, what ever brings attention to Lyme is worth a little bit of my time.

It turned out to really be worth the time. I copied and pasted it to a facebook note and published it on my profile. I got a good response from my friends and family. Honestly it was probably really helpful for them to see. I don’t often talk about the more depressing and difficult side of my illness. Many people thanked me for sharing. It felt really good to be acknowledged.

Follow the link to fill out the questionnaire for yourself-

CALDA/Invisible Illness Questionnaire

A dietary issue for all lyme patients undergoing treatment with antibiotics is the overgrowth of candida in the GI tract. Intestinal candidiasis has been shown to cause gas, bloating, fatigue, cognitive impairment, and immune compromise. Both antibiotics as well as the intestinal malabsorption can play a huge role in promoting yeast overgrowth. In such a situation, consuming alcohol or refined carbohydrates can cause the yeast to grow in a explosive fashion It is recommend lyme patients refrain from anything sweet including natural and artificial sweeteners as much as possible. -a note from an LLMD

What is Candida-

Candida Albicans are yeast microorganisms that commonly live in the intestinal tract of every human being. It shares space in your bowel with a variety of other microorganisms, mostly helpful bacteria, call probiotics. The bacteria to yeast ration in a healthy person is about 10:1, so in a normal bowel everything lives in a nice ecological balance. The problem comes when your “inner ecology” gets off balance through a variety of causes. The bowel becomes vulnerable to other opportunistic’ microorganisms seeking a new home. With no healthy probiotics to keep it under control, the growth of yeast takes off, multiplies and causes Candida Overgrowth yeast infection resulting in a multitude of symptoms.

Candida overgrowth can lead to Leaky gut syndrome which is medically referred to as intestinal permeability. Leaky gut is a major gastrointestinal disorder that occurs when openings develop in the gut wall. These tiny holes can be created when candida overgrowth moves to a more serious stage of candida yeast infection and the candida yeast grows roots or hypha which is a long, branching filamentous cell of a fungus. This fungal growth is a more advanced stage of development in the candida albicans yeast infection. The hyphae spreads the bowel wall cells apart so that acidic, harmful microorganisms and macromolecules are then able to pass through (leak) these openings and enter the circulatory system. Thus the name Leaky Gut. The body is alerted to the invader and creates antibodies for protection, activates the immune system, and thus is born a food allergy. Food allergies are directly linked to leaky gut and candida yeast infection overgrowth.

Adapted from-
http://www.nationalcandidacenter.com/candida-what/

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I have been searching for a specific explanation as to why Lyme patients should follow a Gluten Free and Casein Free diet. I’m not finding much. From talking with my doctor I understand the problem is “leaky gut”. While I didn’t find a specific article about the diet and Lyme I found a lot of information about Autism and GFCF. The reason seems to be the same-”leaky gut”

Here is the most simply explained information that I found-

We may not know all the reasons why the GFCF diet works today. What we do know is that children on the autistic spectrum, or with ND’s and chronic illness, often have abnormal reactions to certain foods including gluten and casein. Many of these individuals also suffer from some type of digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) issue and/or have symptoms of a leaky gut (contents leaking into the rest of the body) and mal-absorption (difficulty digesting nutrients).

Digestively, the body has more difficulty breaking down longer chains of molecules like gluten and casein. In a perfect world, the intestines produce enzymes to break down these chains into single sugars and amino acids. These sugars and amino acids are then absorbed directly but the leftovers are food for bacteria and fungus and can also leak through the gut and cause havoc in the body.

A person with a leaky gut has damaged villi and cell junctions inside the GI tract, leaving gaps in the intestinal wall. Growing evidence shows that these longer protein chains go through a permeable gut wall, enter the bloodstream and affect the brain where the protein chains attach themselves to opioid receptors in the brain causing a morphine-like or “foggy brain” effect.

The consumption of gluten and casein may contribute to the following reactions:

Clouded mental function
Insomnia
Diarrhea
Constipation
Impaired Social Connection
Blocking of pain messages
Dilated pupils
Anxiety
Craving the opioid effect like a drug addiction

There is additional information on the site, mostly as it pertains to autism-
http://www.gfmeals.com/Articles.asp?ID=158

Another good site with lots of resources for Gluten Free and Casein free information and products is-
http://www.gfcfdiet.com/NewpageDirectory6.htm

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7 tomatillos, cleaned and cubed
1 poblano pepper, minced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 pork tenderloin, sliced into strips
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS oil
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1. Heat the oil in a larger pot. Add the onion and poblano and salt. Cook until soft. Add the meat, cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatillos, cook until they are soft.

2. Make sure the meat is cooked through. The result is a soupy or saucy mixture that goes great over rice.

3 breakfast sausage links
2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup micro greens (lettuce works fine too)

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1. cook the sausage in your preferred method. I like the toaster oven, takes about 10 minutes and I can walk away from it.

2. heat the tortillas to make them more pliable.

3. remove the sausages from the pan or oven and cut one of them in half lengthwise.

4. wrap 1 1/2 sausages and half the micro greens in each tortilla.

-Cheryl Franklin

1 cup dried chickpeas
1 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves raw garlic or 4 cloves roasted garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons pine nuts
Dash of paprika or sumac
1 small jar marinated artichokes
3 cups baby spinach
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1. Put the raw chickpeas in a bowl with cold water to cover and soak overnight. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place them in a heavy pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for about an hour or until the chickpeas are soft and the skin begins to separate. Add more water as needed. Drain the chickpeas, reserving about 1-1/2cups of the cooking liquid. Set aside 1/4cup of the cooked chickpeas for garnish.

2. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the remaining chickpeas with the tahina, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and at least 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. If the hummus is too thick, add more reserved cooking liquid or water until you have a paste-like consistency. Then add red bell pepper or artichokes and spinach. Process for another minute.

3. Heat a frying pan and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Spread the pine nuts in the pan and stir-fry, browning on all sides.

4. To serve, transfer the hummus to a large, flat plate, and with the back of a spoon make a slight depression in the center. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top and sprinkle the reserved chickpeas, pine nuts, paprika or sumac, and parsley or cilantro over the surface.

Serve with cut-up raw vegetables/warm pita cut into wedges

NOTE: You can also add cayenne pepper to the hummus. Sometimes leftover hummus tends to thicken just add some water to make it the right consistency.

-adapted from deliciouslivingmag.com

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup rice milk
1½ cups chilled carrot juice
2 TBS peanut butter
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2½ tsp curry powder (more if desired for taste)
1 TBS canola oil
4 ozs rice vermicelli
4 ozs snow peas, cut diagonally into ½-inch slices
2 TBS chopped red bell pepper
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro or basil
1 tsp tamari, or to taste
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1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. This will be used to cook the noodles.

2. Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, rice milk, carrot juice, 1 TBS curry powder, and peanut butter in a blender. Blend on lowest speed for about 1 minute, until emulsified. Refrigerate. (If you have extra time, refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.)

3. Cut each chicken breast cubed. Sprinkle chicken with a bit of salt, then mix with curry powder. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then chicken. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate; when cool enough to handle, and refrigerate.

4. Boil noodles according to package instructions. Drain, then plunge into ice water to cool. Drain thoroughly.

5. When ready to serve, divide noodles among four bowls. Add chicken, snow peas, red bell pepper, and cilantro or basil to bowls. Carefully pour coconut-milk mixture into bowls, leaving any froth behind. Sprinkle with tamari to taste.

OK, I know what the controversy surrounding Lyme is. The thing I don’t get is why or how it exists. Money and conspiracy aside, how can anyone say chronic Lyme isn’t real.

I have test results that show I still have Lyme and co-infections. I had it in October, I had it in May and I have it now. If I continue to have positive blood tests, how could anyone say that I no longer have Lyme or that my problem isn’t Lyme?

Quite frankly, I don’t care what they want to call it. I just want to be treated for it so I can get back to my life.

Brussel Sprouts & Buffalo

1 fennel, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
20 small brussel sprouts, quartered
1 TBS dried parsley*
1 lb. ground buffalo
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 TBS sunflower oil
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1. Heat the oil in your wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel, cook 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the brussel sprouts, continue as you were (stiring) for another 3-5 minutes. Add the buffalo, salt, and parsley, again continue as you were. When the meat is cook through it is ready to serve.

*I didn’t want to use dried parsley but when I went out to the garden I discovered that the evil gopher who haunts my yard had eaten all my parsley! I would have used about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley leaves in place of the dried stuff. It had great flavor the way it was, I just like fresh stuff.

I ate it with a side of micro greens. My husband ate it over rice. I would have liked to wrap it in lettuce leaves, but I didn’t have any.

-Linda Calvo

1 lb. ground turkey
1 tablespoon oil(coconut or canola)
1-2 TBS fresh ginger, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 TBS tamari
Thai spring roll wrapper or lettuce leaves
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1. Brown turkey in a little oil (coconut or olive) with fresh ginger and garlic, a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and tamari (just enough to coat and flavor, but not make it too drippy)

2. After browning turkey, either roll it in Thai spring roll rice wrappers or use as filling in a lettuce wrap. For the spring rolls, you can eat them that way, bake them or fry them. I brush a little oil on them before I bake them. This is very simple and easy.

The basics you need for the recipe-

brown rice tortilla
olive oil
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1. Rub a light layer of oil on your tortillas and then add the toppings. Cook in the oven or toaster over for about 3 minutes.

2. You can make up your own versions of these with whatever toppings you want. Here are some versions I like. Make sure to slice all toppings very thinly so they will cook in the short time they are in the oven.

IDEAS

• pesto, thinly sliced sausage, tomato
• manchego, prosciutto, thinly sliced onion
• goat cheese, fresh basil, pine nuts