Well, unfortunately I think it's come to this. Had my second endoscopy today a year after my first. Last year the doctor diagnosed me with Eosinophillic Esophogitis. It's an allergic reaction to food and/or aero allergens. I was also told I had a stricture, probably a result of the scarring from the inflammation. They prescribed PPIs and swallowed Flovent with a follow up scope a year later to see if anything worked. Today the doctor dilated my esophagus top to bottom as he said it was narrow (crap ton of pain right now),and the inflammation was still there. I've been patch and prick tested for food and aero allergies which all came back negative except mold. It seems the only solution now is an elimination diet and reintroduction of food to see what is triggering it. Basically I'm supposed to eliminate egg, soy, wheat, milk, peanut/tree nuts, and seafood. Basically everything. I've found some things online regarding diets, but I know we have some people here who like cooking, so Im looking for recipes and snack ideas that would fit into excluding these categories.
You're telling me. Using the swallowed Flovent does help, but I don't really want to be using swallowed steroids my whole life. Weird thing is I have no history of food allergies. I still think it's aero, but there's noway to fix or prove it.
Have you thought about a Juicing for a few days? If you do try juicing get this Superfood to add to it "Vitamineral Green" to ensure that your body is getting all it needs as you are juicing. Begin to eat salads and other cooked vegetables after the few days of juicing to transition back to solid foods. Make your own salad dressings. Most store bought salad dressings have soy. If you need recipes, feel free to ask. Make sure any meat you eat is grass fed and no antibiotics/steroids. Organic poultry is best.
Basically, fruits, veg, meats?...dried fruits are one of my favorite snacks. Jerky is another. A piece of (in season) fruit. -Bill
Man that's rough. Sorry I dont have much advice. You might try looking up some raw vegan recipes. Yea they are a bit whacked out to choose to be on a diet that strict, but some of stuff tastes REALLY good, especially the "desserts". And the smoothies are very good too.
Thanks, guys. Still unsure of where I'm going with this. There's a very good chance an elimination diet may do nothing since some people with this don't have food allergies at all, and it's actual environmental allergies. The latter would explain why I don't really have swallowing issues throughout the year except during summer. I'm very allergic to alterneria, which is a plant mold, and dust mites, but that's about it. All food allergy testing shows negative. For now I'm going to heal up from the procedure, hit flovent hard to curb the inflammation for now, and get ready for possible elimination here in the fall. The good news is the is isn't fatal by any means. Definitely people out there with worse health issues than this.
That sucks Matt! I think Dwayne is onto something with juicing. Paleo isn't horrible either. It eliminates a bunch, but everything thats left is really good for you.
MGH_PA welcome to my life I got sick of being overweight and slowly started transitioning my eating habits over 2 years ago. First was to eliminate all breads except breads out of sprouted greens (Ezekiel bread is the local brand I would use) and even then I would almost always limit carbs from breads to just breakfast (never late at night). That all worked some but it wasn't until this year (January) when I finally decided to stop eating so much red meat, cut out dairy and truly attempt to eat all the freaking fruits and vegetables I desired. I ate as much as I freaking wanted so long as it was a fruit or vegetable...and I only worried about protein intake above some natural peanut butter or nuts/seeds if I was gonna work out; then I would throw in some chicken or seafood (fish/shrimp/scallops) in. The misconception of the need for protein is blown way out of proportion. If we are not going to exert ourselves a ton, we get enough protein to sustain muscle mass from a proper consumption of greens and vegetables. I lost just this year over 40 lbs and plummeted my waist line over 6 inches just from January to early May. I truly now eat as a plan or fuel for my body rather than for entertainment (I still have those days I allow myself to eat "whatever" within reason but they are special occasion like family get togethers or holidays). I will still eat the deer I kill but the meat is going to last A LOT LONGER since I don't allow more than one red meat meal a day (due to the time it takes the natural digestive system to break down red meat). The key for me was honestly realizing the more stuff you put in the body that can quickly be used and what is not used flushed out of the body (fiber high foods) MAKES YOU FEEL GREAT! For the first time in probably my whole life I felt empty at my gut, but not hungry. I eat like a horse now, so don't for a second think you can't, it's just all about being smarter with what you eat. My 5 days during the week are my strictest with weekends being a little more loose. Here's a typical days intake for me (I make A LOT of smoothies). -I may eat a banana with some peanut butter immediately in the morning while preparing the rest of my food after showering, or I'll grab some dates like I did this morning. (DATES ARE RIDICULOUSLY SWEET AND AMAZING SNACKS!) -I'll make two smoothies, one for breakfast at work around 9-9:30 usually and another for lunch around 12:30. A normal breakdown of ingredients is roughly like this for the two (this doesn't take long at all due to my new Vitamix blender but I did this with a cheaper walmart one for some time before it blew up): -Breakfast one: 3-5 bananas depending on size (ripe, unripe ones taste like crap!), 1/2 to 1 cup of almond milk, some ice, heaping handful of spinach (kale is a great one as well), perhaps a date or some vanilla extract and blended to the consistency of a milk shake! -Lunch one: will typically be the same ingredients with a few more additions like blueberries or strawberries and I'll throw carrots in from time to time or really anything else I desire. -I will also take to work more fruits/vegetables to be had when desired/hungry. Today I have a whole muskmelon and a bag of carrots. I'll more than likely chow on those if I get hungry. -Tonight I'll probably have a stir fry consisting of onions, hot peppers, bell peppers, zucchini squash, mushrooms, seasonings all over some spinach and one cob of grilled sweat corn. (maybe 10-20 minutes cook time total with prep/cook/clean) Honestly find what you can eat that you like and eat it, mix it up and experiment. Eating this way will have major rewards health wise and is not nearly as hard as it has to be. Never force yourself to eat something you don't like because that's what makes it a diet and it will end as compared to a new eating lifestyle. Sorry for the long post but it's something I've learned myself and going as close to the raw style of eating has made a huge impact in my life.
Thanks for all of that Ty! I know Im going to be eating more cleanly. The problem is the protein intake. I workout 6 days a week and am very active. I have a a huge problem gaining weight, so eating just fruits vegetables, and cutting carbs won't do it. I need to be taking in a ton of clean calories each day if I want to maintain a healthy weight.
Dude that's perfect for this lifestyle though! High carb intake required is perfect: if you like bananas like me you'll soon be buying them by the case (I order a new 40lb case every other week). All fruits give you all the carbs you'd ever need even if you're a runner or competitive biker (two high carb lifestyles). People freak if I showed them the amount of carbs I intake in a day from my fruit...and my energy levels are great! The key is though they're all clean and easily broken down by my body unlike breads or pastas. The protein in your case is needed then and I too am upping my intake as I have started my bowhunting prep workouts for shoulder and arm strength (legs too). The key to me is cleaner protein the better, like fish (if you can although prolly not with no seafood) turkey, chicken or cleaner red meats like venison. If eating red meat I now try to do it at lunches instead of dinners as it takes the body (depending on the person) 3-7 hours to fully process and breakdown the fiberless red meats we intake. Other protein sources you should ask about are pumpkin and hemp seeds. These typically are not classified with tree nuts or peanuts so could be a great source of protein and it only takes a little to make a big impact. I'd even consider if very high protein is needed getting some of the organic raw protein powders if the doctor approves them for shakes in the morning. As for pre-workout I almost always now make one of two things. A banana almondmilk smoothie or a datarade (dates and coconut water). I prefer the banana smoothie one for the boost of carbs and energy. My all day softball tournaments or if I'm gonna work out using a lot of cardio I'll sometimes pump 7-8 bananas in the smoothie (vanilla extract added if needed, if bananas are ripe it's plenty sweet without). Another little benefit to eating this way is the banana ice cream. If you have a blender powerful enough, peel ripened or over-ripened bananas chop into chunks and freeze them. Then when desired put some chunks in a blender with a tiny bit of almond milk and BAM! The ice cream blend can be so thick it won't fall out of the dang blender and it is GOOD! Toppings can be applied if allowed or if trying to get kids to eat healthier.
Oh fyi...somedays even when I don't work out I'm still reaching 3,000 calories...and experiencing no weight gain at all. I feel calories are good to keep track of but it's where and how they calories are made up of that make A MASSIVE impact on how the body will utilize them, process them and expel them.
Go to archery talk, the health and fitness forum and pm a guy called not on the rug...I don't always agree with him, but who does concerning healthy lifestyles...but he is a beast (bout your size as well) and lives a pretty strict Paleo lifestyle. I send you to him because he has a lot of recipes etc. I don't follow this lifestyle at all, but he is spot on. He is opinionated, but it doesn't matter if you know what you are talking about. Best of luck, and although I don't follow Ty's plan he seems to have some great suggestions and more importantly experience as well.
Nice! The key is finding what truly works and is healthy without cutting corners for each person. If I had the fortitude and the ability I'd live a 100% raw lifestyle. But price of produce and the colder temps and my desire for warm food every now and then has led me to my current style (which allows a cooked meal if I desire it at night albeit healthy). The key is to make adjustments at a speed which you'll do. If you can't do it or know you won't sustain it, it isn't worth starting.
Awesome bro. Great advice! I love our Vitamix too. I never had a Smoothie in my life until I bought that. I drink a Green Smoothie every morning. Kale and bananas is my favorite. It has made my weight loss really accelerate.
