I have been chasing the perfect diet for years. I’ve had to take into account that I have a couple pathogens to fight off like Lyme Disease, food sensitivities, endocrine issues like hypothyroidism and estrogen dominance, hematological problems like anemia, and so on. But sick or not, there seems to be evidence to back every opposing claim regarding dietary perfection.
What I have found in my research is not a perfect diet, but a whole lot of angry people defending their extreme claims and trying to pull beginner-health-seekers into the opposing fads. The problem is that these diet fads are backed by case studies and empirical evidence. Without researching the other side of the argument it is easy to get swept up in low-carb, low-fat, juicing, or the many other “curative” diet trends. The thing is, I can google these claims and find strong evidence to both support and oppose all of them.
I guess that is how I ended up trying all of these fad diets. Once you get sucked in there is a lot of great information that scrolls on endlessly. “Wow,” I’d say to myself, “so much research has been done, this diet is truly prestiged and established.”
So I tried juice fasting. Juicing gives your stomach time to rest while loading you with phytonutrients and antioxidants, allows your body to use its energy to repair other bodily systems, and gives you time to produce more salivary enzymes that can break down food once you start eating again. Wow, how prestige!
But fruit and vegetables, though nutrient dense, don’t provide us with ALL our necessary nutrients. Strictly juicing also deprives you of protein and fat which are valuable for repair, growth, hormone production, and a whole lot of other bodily functions.
So then I tried a low-carb paleo diet, of course. If you are sedentary (as many lymies are, not by choice) then you don’t need as many carbs. In a resting state we run on fat (lipolysis) so the carbs will just be stored instead of used. When very low carb (VLC), our bodies adapt so that we don’t need as many carbs, our sugar cravings disappear, we don’t get blood sugar spikes, and we start eating rich foods full of saturated fats and cholesterol that are precursors to our hormones. I increased my intake of egg yolks which are a great source of choline and selenium, and ghee (or butter) which is your only good source of butyric acid besides starch. In theory, hormone regulation, bug-killing and miraculous health should take shape on this diet. A lot of Lymies, not to mention people, are “paleo.” Established!
But my hormones didn’t regulate. My hands and feet were always cold and my progesterone plummeted. Without a working metabolism, my body would never be able to fight off infections without the assistance of drugs. I soon realized that carbs were necessary – nay, carbs were the answer. A lot of research suggests that carbs not only fuel our bodies, but they help with insulin resistance. Actually, insulin resistance can occur when we deprive ourselves of carbs, because our glycogen stores become depleted in our livers so often that our bodies constantly create glucose to counter this. Our bodies can run on ketones, sure, but our brains NEED glucose. And if we exercise, and we should exercise for the pro-oxidant and ATP effects (needed for mitochondrial function), then carbs help our muscles repair. If we don’t have enough for at least that, we will make glucose out of anything – even our own muscles. Along with this muscle wasting, our adrenals become taxed and that hormonal balance we sought after with the VLC diet dies with our fatty dreams.
So then I kept my protein intake at what it was (.7 grams per pound of body weight), went high carb, low fat and got the achy hips again. Then I added some fat back in – no more achy hips. This is kind of where I am at now, but I have more unanswered questions than ever.
That’s a lie, actually. All of my questions have been answered. Every theory I’ve had has been proven. And that’s the problem.
I dare you to google any of these and send me an email with the objective truth:
- Glucose vs. fructose vs. starch as a source of fuel (Mercola thinks fructose is bad, Ray Peat thinks glucose and starch are bad.)
- Drinking water vs. drinking more nutritious liquids like milk or juice (According to most sources water is good for hydration, but some very smart experts suggest that milk and juice do not rob us of our sodium the way water can, so they are therefore preferable.)
- Fiber vs. no fiber (Fiber helps with peristalsis and feeds our microbiome, but fiber also feeds bad bacteria and irritates weak GI tracts.)
- Soluble fiber vs. insoluble fiber vs. both vs. none
- Starch vs. no starch
- Low fat vs. low carb
- Phytic acid (anti-oxidant) vs. no phytic acid (anti-nutrient)
- Sugar for fuel vs. limiting sugar
- Meat raises ammonia vs. Lymies need more meat
- As a late night snack: protein+fat (liposlysis) vs. sugar+salt (stress-reducing) vs. sugar+fat. What keeps you asleep?
- Upon waking: start the day with protein to avoid blood sugar spikes vs. carbs to “break the fast.”
- Fish oil benefits (omega-3) vs. fish oil dangers (Fish oil oxidizes, goes rancid quickly, and is high in polyunsaturated fats.)
- Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are okay vs. PUFAs are to blame for all our health woes.
- Germ free guts vs. healthy microbiomes
- Phytoestrogen benefits vs. phytoestrogen dangers in regards to estrogen dominance
- Serotonin benefits vs. serotonin dangers
- Raw vs. cooked foods
- Eating your greens vs. limiting goitrogenic foods
- Raw milk vs. pasteurized milk vs. milk intolerance
- Probiotic benefits vs. probiotic endotoxins
- Diet vs. diet:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine style diets, which focus on balance (“cool” a “hot” body, “wet” a “dry” body, “dry” a “wet” body, and so on)
- The Specific Carb Diet, which advocates simple carbs that are metabolized higher in the digestive tract and avoids complex carbs that feed bacteria lower in the digestive tract
- Paleo, which advocates real foods like meat, animal fats, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Paleo can be broken down into primal (high fat and dairy), low carb (high fat, no dairy) and in other varieties, as presented by Chris Kresser, Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf, etc.
- FODMAPS, which eliminates fructose, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, alcohols, and polyols. These short chain carbs are known to cause stomach problems.
- Low-fat vegan, which avoid “feeding” biofilm
- Autoimmune and antihistamine diets, which avoid common allergies like peanuts, soy, egg whites, and wheat.
- Dr. Kharrazian and Dr. Lam’s adrenal fatigue diets, which are high in protein and low in carbs and gluten.
- Intermittent fasting, which promotes fasting to metabolize accumulating pathogens and to allow digestive rest
- The Warrior diet, which suggests eating one massive meal at night while our parasympathetic nervous systems (resting and digesting) are active, and fasting during the day when our sympathetic nervous systems should be active (not resting and digesting, but fighting or flighting).
- Dr. Wilson’s fast and slow oxidizer diets, which recommend different diets based on your personal mineral ratios and oxidization pathways
- The Wahls diet, which is supposed to support mitochondria function by stuffing yourself with 9 cups of vegetables a day
- Ketogenic diets, which remove ALL carbs from your diet to put yourself in a fasted stated without fasting
- The perfect health diet, which eliminates grains, industrial oils, sugar and legumes
- Ray Peat’s diet, which eliminates grains, industrial oil, and legumes but encourages sugar and fruit as sources of metabolic fuel.
With Lyme Disease, things like collagen, magnesium, fat and sugar should be eliminated because they feed bacteria and biofilm. Or should these be increased, so that we can make our bacteria and our bodies happy? With Lyme Disease, eating a lot of vegetables can help us get the needed nutrients to protect our mitochondria and reduce MS and ALS symptoms. Or do too many vegetables have goitrogenic effects and suppress our endocrine systems thus eventually hurting our mitochondria?
None of these diets should be considered THE ONE AND ONLY diet for Lyme Disease. This next article will be less of a doozy, focusing on the points that everyone sort of agrees on.
You can find similar information in a chapter in my book, It’s Not Just Lyme (It’s Your Metabolism): Understanding the Metabolism’s Role in Fighting Chronic Infections
I didn’t think anyone else understood this madness to the level I’ve felt it.
But, I was wrong…
Wonderful post. It’s good to know I’m not the only one driven nuts by all the diet “experts.”
😉 😉 😉 Can you tell I went a bit mad?
I need a little advice because I feel we are on the same page…I’m literally going crazy trying to figure out what the best diet choice is for me. I haven’t been officially diagnosed yet but I’m almost sure I have Lyme (heat intolerance, sweating, fatigue, mood swings, some joint pain) anyway I’ve been trying that aytoimmune oakwood diet which I don’t mind but I need to put on weight, I’m just not happy with mine. I’m still built but lost mass (I know I shouldn’t be worried about that but I’m vain) so from your personal experience would upping my carb intake be ok? I’m prob not even eating 100 grams a day. Also what’s your view on fruit? I see a lot of mixed reviews on it, some say because it has sugar it feeds Lyme but is there any real proof of that? I feel like if I could eat more fruit and sweet potatoes a day I could put on some weight. I even do push ups and sit ups every day but without more carbs I’m getting nowhere ???? any advice would be wonderful. Thanks!!
Patric,
There is evidence that Lyme feeds on sugar. There is also evidence that it feeds on amino acids and magnesium, and lesser evidence that fats help produce biofilm. What are we to do? Starve to death? I understand the western approach to medicine is to kill whatever invaders we have. I just don’t know if Lyme is curable, and so I don’t think it is good to starve yourself until you have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel (as my nanny likes to say about herself). I personally eat WAY over 100 grams of carbs a day and I am a 5″4 female at 120 pounds. I can use the energy – for my metabolism, my thyroid, my adrenals and of course, to fuel my weight-training. I used to do the low-carb thing but found that I could not get off of anti-microbials or exercise because I was too weak and developed hypothyroid. As for fruit, I think that is something you have to try and see how you feel. Forget what other people say is healthy – listen to your body. I do better with cooked foods, and I like berries, so I just throw them in a pan and stew them (I throw maple syrup on top to up my carbs too). So hear is the other side of the argument. I’m not suggesting I am right, but I am suggesting that were all a little wrong, and even the experts are not in agreement. Keep experimenting, be open, consider the research but also be conscious of placebo effect.
Meant to say autoimmune paleo diet lol
Phew, I was about to get lost googling the “autoimmune oakwood diet”
I have been more or less dealing with the same problem you seem to be having. Although I have not been diagnosed with lyme, I have had awful stress related symptoms which whenever I bring up to my doctor he insists that it is depression/anxiety. Muscle twitches, strange migrating “aches”, fatigue, etc. I am worried it is MS, or ALS or some other neuropathology. I have messed around with diet for optimal well being since about 20 years ago running the full gamut of fads: supplements, vegetarian, blood type diet, weston price, primal, paleo, low fat, high fat, keto, wahls, etc. I have finally reached the point where I do not care about diet gurus or their quasi-diet cults. I have found personally that sprouted grains are ok, dairy is poison for me, except butter, lean red meat works, fish is good, fruit not so much, yams ok in moderation, olive oil clogs my ears, coconut oil causes heart palps, cooked food is best. You understand where I am coming from? Even with all of these discoveries, it all still depends on context. If i have a lot of stress, nothing works (ie: all food is poison) until I calm down and de-stress. So many of our problems, I believe, stem from chronic stress. Couple our high stress culture with a complete absence of any food tradition such as what most “old world” countries have and you have a recipe (no pun intended) for dietary disaster and a lot of confusion. Frankly, it has gotten to the point where I do not care anymore. Life is too short to obsess about food. If a good diet gives me five more years on my life, will it be worth it? Keep in mind also that a lot of these people that are fostering fad diets have a lot at stake. Mark Sisson is a corporation unto himself, as is Terry Wahls and lot of the others. I am happy that some people may have found relief from following these plans but we should all understand that the ultimate diet authority is your own body. My current dietary regime? Eat anything that is fresh, nothing processed (shop the perimeter of the store) until you are satisfied and listen to your body. I cannot tell you how many times I forced food into my mouth that my body was recoiling at just because a book said it was what my body needed, ie: drinking water when not thirsty and peeing all day long, stuffing gobs of fat into my mouth even though it was making me nauseous. The final straw for me was reading Ray Peat. He seemed so grounded in science and empiricism and yet was going against a lot of what others where saying. I love his article on sugar. Even though i still don’t like sugar it finally made me realize that whatever food makes me feel strong and healthy, even if it is a supposed poison, there is probably ample science somewhere to support its healthfulness. I hope you find the perfect diet to help your disease. Keep in mind too that you may find that your body needs huge or regular amounts of certain natural foods for a period and then it may be time to move on. Who says our diets have to last a lifetime? Best of luck.
When I’m calm, grounded, and mentally strong, I can stomach almost anything! Ray Peat may be a little controversial, but I am glad he is around to call B.S. on other health gurus. And what you said about Sisson and Wahls being corporations in themselves concerns me, as well. If anyone wants to tell you what to do and not to do, without giving ANY advice about following your own gut (literally in this case) then they should be taken off the pedestal – a place no single person belongs.
Yessi,
Your are right! We all seem to want to blindly follow a savior, especially when we are suffering. These gurus or diets seem to fill that need in us to have someone or something to give us hope. One way to sort through all of this is to look at food (and when I say food, I mean NATURAL food, not something designed in a lab specifically to be addictive) in a functional way. People seem to lean out on high meat and fat diets and conversely put on weight when certain types of carbs are emphasized. If you have specific body composition goals, this is a possible way to approach it (bodybuilders understand this). When you are dealing with chronic or infectious illness, things can get a little tricky. Then you have to start thinking about micronutrients, which science still does not fully understand. Its only been less than one hundred years since science discovered most of the B-vitamins! We must start with natural foods in their whole state because we have no idea what nutrients still have yet to be discovered! Interestingly, I remember reading about a small study of diabetic, city dwelling aborigines from Australia who returned to the bush and began eating their native diet again. They would spend some time on the coast eating lots of seafood and then slowly migrate inland feasting on fruits, vegetation, bugs, etc. After some time they were tested and found to be cured of diabetes. They were probably following their instincts and not reading books on diet! Once when I was on a high meat, high fat diet, going very low carb I had incredible cravings for citrus which I never really liked but I fought the urge to eat oranges because they were not on the “approved foods list”. Duh! I was getting scurvy! Our WHOLE bodies are so much smarter than just the part that reads books! The problem is that with all of the processed foods that lead to unnatural cravings we have learned not to trust our bodies when we crave foods. But this is a built in feature of the human body that has insured our survival for millennia!
By the way, I met Dr. Horowitz and his wife at a party last summer. He seemed like a really nice guy and very intelligent, though I was not really happy about his emphasis on antibiotics, although now I am wondering if we give diet and the power of the human body too much credit when it comes to fighting infectious disease. After speaking with him, I ended up getting tested for Lyme because both my wife and I have been suffering from autoimmune type symptoms and we found out that lyme may actually be contagious between spouses. My results were negative so I am leaning more towards some sort of neurological problem like fibromyalgia, ms, etc.
Scurvy, oh no!
I think Horowitz is right about our bodies sometimes needing the (minimal) assistance of antimicrobials. It would be interesting to see if you felt better after a few weeks on herbal antimicrobials, which are milder than antibiotics in both results and side-effects but can still clarify further if you have – not Lyme but – some sort of chronic infection. Alternatively, darkfield blood microsopy (having a specialist look at your blood under a microscope) might clarify the same thing, since if it IS an infection, I’d think it would be systemic at this point and therefore visible in your blood. Of course, it could be MS, etc, and just as with a chronic infection, I’d encourage you to support your stress hormones, metabolism, everything from your mind to your organs. The stronger we are, the better for us and our conditions.
That happened to me too! Went paleo, got scurvy, then Lyme! :/ But hormone imbalance from anorexia and bulimia played a big role too.
Scurvy oh dear!
Dr. Jana Bogs is a nutritionist and soil scientist in Hawaii who counsels organic farmers on soil amendments that will boost the nutritional value of what they grow. Most soils are depleted in some way, so that even organically grown foods may have reduced nutritional value. In Hawaii there are two problems — rain leaching trace minerals, and incomplete mineral profiles due to the composition of the volcanic rock. Dr. Bogs has a book available on Amazon that explains the problems and solutions very well.
My point is that, as complicated as the food picture seems to be, it is even more complex when growing conditions for plants or animals are factored in. We opted to buy a farm and are now working to build the soil. In most areas agricultural schools or departments are more than happy to assist with that process, often at no charge.
Of course – it makes perfect sense that foods will be lacking in nutrients if the soil is not providing them. And there are countless reasons that this is a problem. Especially when we are so disconnected to our food and food has become an industry for profit, more than for community.
Also a lot of people who suffer from chronic infections tend to live in cities, yet those out on the “dirty” ranches seem to have more communicative immune systems.
I’m bouncing around the site looking for the part where you discuss dietary iron — meat, liver, etc. Can’t seem to find it! I’ve seen the devastating effects that meat farming has on land in several countries, and wondered how to avoid supporting that. Here are links to solid nutritional advice on iron with lower meat consumption:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php
http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Minerals/Food-Sources-of-Iron.aspx
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=70
Bottom line: People vary in their need for iron. Vegetable sources are adequate if consumed along with vitamin C. Eat your spinach!
New Zealand Spinach is extremely hardy (like the Kiwis!) and makes a good replacement for grass as a ground cover. So, replant and eat your lawn!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this! You must have crawled into my head while I wasn’t looking! It’s EXACTLY, what I’ve researched, tried, re-researched, tried, and complained about. The whole “this is the perfect Lyme diet – oh, wait, it’s not” thing has been driving me absolutely INSANE!!!
Julia, then you’ve been drive mad by this subject as well. It’s confusing when people – even (especially) professionals – act like they hold the key of knowledge to each individuals dietary needs.
Thank God it’s not just me.?
I am tired of defending my food choices to all the medical and alternative medicine practitioners I use. They each think what they offer is the best and I hesitate to see them just because of the “look” of “of course you aren’t getting better–you aren’t on MY diet”. Exactly! I am on MY diet, not yours. I needed this article and will share it with others.
You can’t trust anybody as much as your body Carolyn. And really, how are these doctors so arrogant about their beliefs on an ever-changing science?
I wish you well in finding an appropriate diet for your situation! There’s certainly a lot of quackery out there. Following 25 years of high-carb vegetarianism, my wife and I switched to keto. After an adaptation period that was fairly unpleasant, we’ve both found it exceptionally helpful and energizing, and satisfying. My wife’s chronic lyme symptoms improved, particularly the neurological issues and muscular pain. Probably due to lowering inflammation, but we haven’t gotten that confirmed with bloodwork. Did you test your blood or at least breath ketones when you were trying the ketogenic diet? If you’re lingering at the edge of ketosis but not quite there, you get all the pain and little gain, at least in the short term. Did you give it a month? It takes at least a couple of weeks to make the switch.
A lot of research and experience suggests the brain *can* run on ketones, not just glucose. As an obvious example, the traditional inuit diet was ketogenic for much of the year.
And I’d think twice about this quote in your post:
“… insulin resistance can occur when we deprive ourselves of carbs, because our glycogen stores become depleted in our livers so often that our bodies constantly create glucose to counter this.”
That sounds like gluconeogenesis, where the liver creates glucose from protein. Insulin resistance is when the cells are unable to take in more glucose ’cause they’re already stuffed full, so blood sugar stays high and cells resist the insulin signal. A symptom of diabetes (or pre-diabetes), and quite common now in our grain- and sugar-centric world.
Anyway, everyone’s different and the body’s remarkably adaptable. Gotta try a lot of things systematically and see what works best. For my wife and me, it’s Horowitz-style antibiotics and keto. For someone else, who knows? Good luck!
Hey Erik, I’m happy to hear keto is working for you. I’m the opposite of you – I went from long term keto to high carb. When I first started keto, I did actually feel pretty good! My guess is that the low sugar meant less infection. I was keto, if not keto then VLC, for over a year, and proudly tested positive for ketones in my labwork. Unfortunately I felt like I could not maintain this diet long term, since it’s the only time in my life that my thyroid became hypo. I’m pretty OCD with bloodwork, and I’m lucky enough to redo labs every 3 months, so I saw the distinct correlation between my keto diet and hypothyroid, and my addition of carbs and return to thyroid normalcy. I also feel like it’s soooooo much easier to NOT forbid myself foods that I love! Despite some downsides to carbohydrates (they feed bacteria, can cause diabetes in excess depending on genetics, etc) I feel more energetic, I feel ultra zen when I eat ice cream, and I can exercise a hella a lot more. I 100% do not think high carb is for everyone, and honestly, I think genetics and placebo are almost as important (if not more) as the convoluted facts.
I have chronic late stage lyme, and have learned to live my own way myself. I do cyclic fasting about 4 days a week, yet eat tons of fruit (sweet fruit too), tons of honey, and eat Magnesium rich foods like it’s going out of style when I do eat. Granted I consider my actual diet (where im getting the nutrition) to be medicinal mushrooms and tonic herbs, algaes and seaweeds, ect. – the food is just for induligence and satiation, muscle repair, ect. Oh and im on fully raw diet except for ghee butter and the occasional steamed yam or Brussels once a month perhaps.
So really, with Lyme, or for anyone actually, their diet needs to be an experiment. And if you cant eat fruit with lyme, mostly its due to your adrenals being weak and not metabolising sugar properly. seems everyone that suffers from lyme has weak adrenals – then thyroid problems too (as these glands work hand in hand) and weak kidney function stemming from the adrenals.
Wow, you have described my journey to a T. I have been battling Lyme for almost 2 years, but realize it’s not just the Lyme that debilitated me….it’s my compromised immune system as a result of co-infections, heavy metals, mold toxicity, EBV, HH6, parasites, leaky gut syndrome, emotional trauma, ect. I am desperately trying to reach balance as my thyroid, adrenals, and hormones are way out of whack. Not to mention my gallbladder and liver have been damaged so I do not tolerate high fat diet. ;(
I have done so much research on diet which is how I stumbled upon this post and yet I am still more confused than ever. I feel like I am in a hamster wheel going round and round.
I try just listening to my body, but that doesn’t always work for me. I hope to one day figure it all out. In the interim, I take one day at a time and do the best I can to eat real foods.
Hey Sha, I really like that you include emotional trauma in your long list of health issues to sort through. I think all of the other issues are equally significant, real obstacles, but I think emotions are greatly tied in. Being sick makes it really hard to “listen” to yourself, your body, your mind, because these can be affected by chronic infections, viruses, damage to different organs and bodily systems, and so on. That said, you kind of have to work with what you’ve got; experiment anyways, despite the results being hard to theorize from due to the unpredictable complex nature of chronic illnesses. Taking it one day at a time is a good way to do it; it’s a positive, patient way of coping with all the stuff you are dealing with, and patience and optimism are (IMO) vital to recovery. It’s good that you already have an idea that high fat diets aren’t for you. Throw away all the pro-high fat diet info and try something else. There are a lot of different theories, and you might find one that works for you. It becomes a lot easier to eat “intuitively” when your physical and mental health are more stable, not to mention when you aren’t seeking out the “truth” in books and forums. Good luck with your educational journey and I hope you find a balance between information, healing and intuition. Best Yessi
A balance of healthy foods is best for me, to help my body with the detoxing elimination faster. Only unprocessed foods – NO > sugar, gluten, flour, dairy- I cook all the time, and purchase organic fruits and veggies at the farmers market. I’ll make chicken veggie soup, or other pureed vegetable soups, huge colourful salads with fresh grilled fish, or eggs added. Once in a blue moon I’ll have some organic veal. It’s tiring and sometimes lonely, hanging out in the kitchen so much, but I’m determined to get well. I can’t eat too much fruits, as they feed parasites and candida.
I am currently involved in a long term Lyme killing program from an amazing Longevitiy Doctor using Silver (Colloidal) Monolaurin, Homeopathic, proteinic enzymes and more.
As the Lyme slowly die off, leaving behind their debilitating Neurotoxins, I go through various healing crisis, and feeling tired (nothing new!)
So I follow the doc’s advise, and force myself to move, either I bike it for 30 minutes or more, or yoga or walking. And when I do this, I feel better, even while moving.
I can not handle nuts or coconut, even beans are heavy for me right now as my intestine is also compromised from parasites/candida – so am forced to eat animal products for protein, and healthy oils and fats – Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and I watch my skin improve each day, and my energy levels are rising. I make pilaff with buckwheat and quinoa following my grandmothers recipe, and also Cranberry juice is great, (unsweetened) it can also help to detox and don’t forget to take milk thistle 3X a day to help the liver. I only allow myself rice cakes for now, as it is just rice (and millet and quinoa – my fave kind)
Slowly, the symptoms are fading, and I don’t think any particular diet you mentioned above on its own is really that great, just a nice balance of wholesome healthy food, minus the above mentioned no-no’s > sugar, gluten, flour, dairy