Ultra Simple Diet

[Gertrudes]

Thanks for the suggestions, Gertrudes. I think I will experiment with cooking extra at dinnertime, and taking the leftovers to work for lunch.

You can also cook once or twice a week, keep it in the fridge and then pack some of it in individual portions every day. I don't have a lot of time for cooking, so that is usually what I do.


If I want more variety, I add up different vegetable that don't demand cooking, such as cucumber, beetroot, celery and spinach. Or I "fry" (I'm doing it with water at the moment) some meet or fish, which doesn't take too long.
Another thing I do is cook vast portions of sweet potato and quinoa and put it in the freezer. For about 2 weeks I don't need to cook them, I just need to take a portion out. I don't do it with vegetables because I don't like their taste and consistency after having been frozen.

Just a couple of ideas that might or not be useful to you.

 

[Bluestar]

Funny you should mention that, estrogen excess had crossed my mind recently when reading the Estrogen Dominance and weight loss thread (http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12458.0)

Because of occasional mood swings and anxiety that seems to come from nowhere, I have the feeling that I have an hormonal imbalance, you also suggested that at another thread. Thyroid tests have not accused anything though, despite a kinesiologist having mentioned I had thyroid problems.

Will read further on estrogen excess and definitely give the progesterone cream a try. Thank you Laura :)

Hi Gertrudes,

Having a hormonal imbalance is an issue that I have had for many years. A chiropractor that does kinesiology tested me and tested this product that worked very well. I take it twice a day. It is called Total Female by Nutriwest. My symptoms start to subside within days. Though I believe I may be committed to take this for sometime. You can view the product info at this link. Then just scroll down the menu to Total Female. See if this may be helpful.

http://www.nutriwest.com/products/products.htm

Here is a web site you can purchase the product.

https://www.professionalsupplementcenter.com/MoreInfo.aspx?productbaseid=12471

Hope this is useful to you.

 

[3DStudent]

Well it could be the rice. The lectins and gluten in brown rice might have caused these sharp stabbing pains.

Yeah I just saw that thread now and it looks like rice is totally out now due to the gluten.

Did you soak the rice before cooking?

Yeah I soaked it for about 10 hours with about a teaspoon of baking soda, but I think that might be irrelevant now knowing about the gluten. I've found wild rice to be hard to find, but maybe it's worth a try.

 

[theos]

Gosh, this thread just makes me want some rice now. I think I may try some wild rice slathered in ghee... I think I'm just hungry. :P

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

The lectins and gluten in brown rice might have caused these sharp stabbing pains.

Since I'm on the diet, I have discovered that quinoa is not okay for me (it gave me horrible stomach cramps for two whole days and nights, so I'm not going anywhere near it), that I can have buckwheat about once or twice a week at most (otherwise I'm sluggish, bloated and put on weight). Pre-diet I was not too fond of amaranth (it's like eating air to me) and my last cooking with millet was a disaster (in minutes it turned to wallpaper paste), so basically rice is the only grain I could have! We don't have it every day, but the few times I have it a week, it feels satisfying.
I must be careful with lentils, beans and chickpeas (they make me put on weight, I'm a type B) and I cannot have chicken. Oh jeez. What am I gonna eat?

Thank you Gertrudes and Andi for bringing up skin issues:

We have introduced plenty of animal fats (ghee, duck/goose fat, fat from bacon I cook), I take 10 to 15 g of fish oil a day (and digestive enzymes). Tigersoap says my skin 'glows' more than before (in a good way), which is nice, but I still have two concerns: the skin on my face is super super dry (like sandpaper) and I have two or three tiny whiteheads on my cheeks every morning. I had used argan oil to moisturize, but it seems to give me more whiteheads, so I stopped (I have less when I stop). I'm now using macadamia oil and it seems I break out a bit less. I used to think spots meant that the bowels were not clean, but I had three courses of bowel cleanses in the last year and a half (the last one in July), so it seems to be something else.
Maybe it's the hormones? I've just begun progesterone cream and I hope it will help. Or maybe the liver? My tongue is coated after all.

All in all, I'm enjoying the USD and don't really have cravings anymore. I walked past croissants and pastries this morning and I did not care. As we say in French "Même pas mal!" (meaning 'that does not even hurt!')

 

[Laura]

Funny you should mention that, estrogen excess had crossed my mind recently when reading the Estrogen Dominance and weight loss thread (http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12458.0)

Because of occasional mood swings and anxiety that seems to come from nowhere, I have the feeling that I have an hormonal imbalance, you also suggested that at another thread. Thyroid tests have not accused anything though, despite a kinesiologist having mentioned I had thyroid problems.

Will read further on estrogen excess and definitely give the progesterone cream a try. Thank you Laura :)

Hi Gertrudes,

Having a hormonal imbalance is an issue that I have had for many years. A chiropractor that does kinesiology tested me and tested this product that worked very well. I take it twice a day. It is called Total Female by Nutriwest. My symptoms start to subside within days. Though I believe I may be committed to take this for sometime. You can view the product info at this link. Then just scroll down the menu to Total Female. See if this may be helpful.

http://www.nutriwest.com/products/products.htm

Here is a web site you can purchase the product.

https://www.professionalsupplementcenter.com/MoreInfo.aspx?productbaseid=12471

Hope this is useful to you.

That looks like a good product but I'm not sure it will do what plant based progesterone creams will do. I think that there is plenty of info here on the forum about the progesterone cream. Using it - along with cruciferous veggies and indole-3-carbinol - really helped me to reduce the excess estrogen.

 

[andi]

It's kind of hard to find anything reverent on the net and probably there is good info here on the forum already.
However, while looking I found this pdf:

_http://www.drmunkley.com/Estrogen%20Dominance.pdf

Correcting Estrogen Imbalance
Many female problems, including PMS, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts are estrogen dependent. Therefore, it is advisable to decrease sources of exogenous estrogen in the diet. It is also important to enhance the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract in order to ensure optimal metabolism and elimination of estrogen metabolites.
To regulate your hormones:
1) Ensure adequate daily fiber intake (aim for 30 grams/day – see table below) in order to eliminate excess estrogen
2) Consume foods that decrease estrogen levels; decrease consumption of foods that increase estrogen levels (see table below)
3) Do regular castor oil packs over your liver
4) Drink warm lemon water
5) Maintain ideal body weight
6) Engage in regular aerobic exercise
7) Have regular infra-red sauna’s

Factors that contribute to Hormone Imbalance:
1) Being overweight
2) Synthetic hormones (i.e. HRT, oral contraceptives)
3) Stress – Cortisol (the stress hormone) competes for the same receptors as progesterone which can lead to a relative estrogen dominance
4) Exposure to light at night
5) Pesticides in food, insect sprays, lawn sprays, cleaning products
6) Air fresheners, fabric softeners, scented laundry soaps
7) Plastics of any kind (food containers, water bottles, polyester fabric, saran wrap)
8) Parabens in hair and skincare products
9) New carpets

...

From what I understand, some light aerobic every day can be very beneficial.

 

[andi]

_http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Experience-with-Uterine-Fibroid-Tumors

Introduction
About two years ago now, I was told by my doctor that I had a uterine fibroid tumor about the size of a tennis ball hanging from the back of my uterus. The fibroid was pedunculated or hanging from a stalk and was distorting the shape of my uterus. She suggested doing some more tests on it and then performing surgery to remove it.

I'd always had problems with my period and suspected that I had fibroids for years, but never did anything about it. If my doctor hadn't discovered the growth, I probably would've continued doing nothing at all about it.

My doctor wanted to operate. I didn't have health insurance at the time and the price of surgery was just way too much for my family to afford. I just don't like the idea of surgery either. So I started looking into ways to shrink my fibroids naturally. I thought it was worth a try.

After doing lots of research online, I made up a plan to shrink my fibroids. The plan was to include herbs, compresses, change in diet and exercise.



Environment
One of the things that causes uterine fibroid tumors to develop is estrogen dominance. If you're estrogen dominant you have to much estrogen in your system for your body to process. We take excess estrogen into our bodies everyday through birth control pills and chemicals in household cleaners, cosmetics and plastics used to store food that mimic estrogen.

The first thing I did is cut these things out of my life. I started making my own cleaning supplies from lemon juice, borax, vinegar and essential oils. You can also use vodka as a household cleaner. I also switched to all natural hair products, lotions and makeup. We've never really used very many plastic containers in our kitchen so I didn't have to make many changes there.


Diet and Exercise
Diet and exercise are also important for shrinking fibroids. I read that I should do vigorous exercise 5 days a week. That was a bit hard for me. I only did aerobic exercise 3 times a week. I did do yoga 5 days a week on most days.

I also changed my diet. I started eating only organic free range meats. The hormones and antibiotics given to the animals before slaughter can add to estrogen dominance. I also cut down on my meat consumption. I eliminated all soy from my diet. Soy also causes estrogen dominance. I started eating organic fruits and vegetables. Pesticides can add to estrogen dominance, but you could've guessed that, right?

Compresses
Castor oil compresses can be used to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and draw out toxins. The compresses are done by soaking a piece of cotton, preferable dye free, fabric in the oil. putting the fabric on your abdomen and covering it in some plastic. Then place a heating pad or hot water boil over it. Put a towel or blanket over that to keep the heat in. Let that sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Using a castor oil compress is the common advice that you find online, but I didn't follow it. Instead, I made ginger compresses, by grating several inches of ginger in a pot and boiling it for 10 minutes. Than I let it cool a little and put a cloth in the hot water. I put that cloth on my abdomen and covered with towels to hold in the heat. I left it on for 30 minutes.

Ginger also increases circulation and draws out toxins.

Be smart. Don't burn yourself doing this.

Herbs
I also used herbs to help the situation along. I took Vitex daily. I also made an herbal tea that I drink twice daily. The tea contained motherwort, burdock root, wild yam, evening primrose, milk thistle and some other things.

This isn't an herb, but for good measure I started taking a tablespoon of black strap molasses daily.

Conclusion
I did this for a long time. I have to admit that I wasn't as diligent about it as I should've been. Some days I didn't do it at all, but I was good most of the time. The result is that I have no fibroids now that my doctor had been able to detect.

Some might say it's a coincidence. Others may say it was the herbs or the diet or the exercise or the compresses. Maybe it was the combination of all of those things. I can't really say for sure. I can just say that this is what I did and it seemed to work.

 

[andi]

[quote author=Mrs.Tigersoap]
but I still have two concerns: the skin on my face is super super dry (like sandpaper) and I have two or three tiny whiteheads on my cheeks every morning.
[/quote]

Hi Mrs.Tigersoap, I know collagen is a protein responsible for healthy tissue in skin. It makes me wander if you are not lacking in collagen. Just a guess.

Wiki:

Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins. In nature, it is found exclusively in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals.[1] It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals,[2] making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content. Collagen, in the form of elongated fibrils, is mostly found in fibrous tissues such as tendon, ligament and skin, and is also abundant in cornea, cartilage, bone, blood vessels, the gut, and intervertebral disc.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Not diarrhoea, just a slight feeling of queasiness. I wasn't eating very much xylitol, perhaps a teaspoon a day, but I have stopped because of the queasiness factor.

Thanks for letting me know, Endymion! In the past few days I've read multiple reviews of people experiencing similar side effects from xylitol and I've decided to stick with my KAL brand stevia for now. Since the USD diet killed my sweet cravings my sweetener intake has dropped considerably so perhaps there is no need to buy this right away.

The methods that typically preserve nutrients best can be ordered from quickest to slowest, as follows:

Pressure Cooking
Steaming
Stir-frying
Broiling/Grilling
Sauteing
Poaching
Braising
Roasting
Baking
Boiling

You forgot to mention microwaving, Laura, lol..

Thanks Laura for mentioning, because this morning I thought about cooking my vegetables and if I'm actually doing it right. So my next step is going for a good quality pressure cooker, because I think it is worth it's money since I'm cooking every morning my veggies.

I have considered getting a pressure cooker too. If it really does retain more nutrients then I think it's worth it because I spend so much money on food!

Well it could be the rice. The lectins and gluten in brown rice might have caused these sharp stabbing pains. Perhaps it's better to not eat any rice anymore.

I have been doing my best to avoid gluten and this really surprised me.. I looked online and found these sites that say rice is gluten-free. Now I'm a bit confused..:/

_http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_rice_Gluten_Free

_http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php

_http://gfkitchen.server101.com/rice.htm

I have been eating organic brown rice for years now and the only bad thing I noticed is I will get bloated if I eat too much. Perhaps it's still a good idea to take it out of my diet for a while and then reintroduce it again, just to see what happens.

Hi Gertrudes, it would be interesting if you can detail a little about your skin problems, if you haven't done already. I too have some lately. My skin seems to be very irritated. It forms slight scratches, kind of, and they dissipater after a while. They also appear if I press too hard on the skin. I don't know if I can relate this to diet directly without considering genetic, it appears my dad has skin sensitivity since young age, through mine started around the time I suddenly changed my diet.

Hello andi, I know you weren't asking me, but I feel compelled to write that I have dishydrotic eczema on my hands and it spread to the pads of my finger-tips very early in the USD diet. Deep splits began to form, much deeper than paper cuts. I did my best to moisturize them by putting petroleum jelly and gloves on every night, but it didn't even help. I found this information on _http://www.edaciousimber.info/lemon_leaf_one.html

Do not spill lemon juice onto your hands (skin) whilst you're preparing the lemon to drink. The citric acid could inflame your skin condition. Use a tea cloth or cloth towel to hold the cut lemon with. You could, perhaps, ask someone else who does not have eczema or dermatitis to extract the lemon juice for you.

I had been slicing a lemon every morning as part of the diet. Now I buy lemon juice and the cuts and eczema are much better. I'm SO relieved that the cuts are almost all gone now because they were really painful!

Thanks to everyone who brought up skin issues, because I have adult acne too. Right now I take antibiotics for it and lots of acidophilus to counteract its side effects. I am hoping the candida diet, or maybe some of this plant-based progesterone cream could do the trick. I remember researching this cream before, but didn't try it out. This one looks good to me and it has great reviews on Amazon.com:

_http://www.amazon.com/Emerita-Pro-Gest-Natural-Progesterone-Paraben-Free/dp/B000IMQE5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1282350011&sr=1-1

Product Description
Peri/Menopause Support. Clinically - tested. Paraben - free. Does not contain any parabens. What's in it: Contains 450mg of USP Progesterone per ounce. Check the side of this box for a complete list of ingredients. What's not in it : No parabens, mineral oil, petroleum or animal anything. And our products are never tested on animals.

It's kind of hard to find anything reverent on the net and probably there is good info here on the forum already.
However, while looking I found this pdf:

_http://www.drmunkley.com/Estrogen%20Dominance.pdf

Correcting Estrogen Imbalance
Many female problems, including PMS, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts are estrogen dependent. Therefore, it is advisable to decrease sources of exogenous estrogen in the diet. It is also important to enhance the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract in order to ensure optimal metabolism and elimination of estrogen metabolites.
To regulate your hormones:
1) Ensure adequate daily fiber intake (aim for 30 grams/day – see table below) in order to eliminate excess estrogen
2) Consume foods that decrease estrogen levels; decrease consumption of foods that increase estrogen levels (see table below)
3) Do regular castor oil packs over your liver
4) Drink warm lemon water
5) Maintain ideal body weight
6) Engage in regular aerobic exercise
7) Have regular infra-red sauna’s

Factors that contribute to Hormone Imbalance:
1) Being overweight
2) Synthetic hormones (i.e. HRT, oral contraceptives)
3) Stress – Cortisol (the stress hormone) competes for the same receptors as progesterone which can lead to a relative estrogen dominance
4) Exposure to light at night
5) Pesticides in food, insect sprays, lawn sprays, cleaning products
6) Air fresheners, fabric softeners, scented laundry soaps
7) Plastics of any kind (food containers, water bottles, polyester fabric, saran wrap)
8) Parabens in hair and skincare products
9) New carpets

...

From what I understand, some light aerobic every day can be very beneficial.

Thanks for this post, andi! I follow most of what is suggested, but not all of it. I do engage in aerobic activity daily though, but I still have mild acne. Time to work on a few things now. Thanks again!! :D

 

[fabric]

.... cooking broccoli. Up to 97 percent of certain antioxidant compounds were destroyed by microwaving, while steaming the broccoli caused only 11 percent loss. Therefore, any cooking that minimizes the time, temperature, and water will help to preserve nutrients. Pressure cooking under steam is one of the methods best because it minimizes time and requires little water.

I'm wondering would warming up broth in the microwave destroy the nutrients in the broth? I've been getting things prepped to properly start the diet and made a big batch of broth and put it into Mason jars. I'll take one to work and have been warming up some in the microwave but wonder maybe it's not a good idea?

 

[3DStudent]

I'll take one to work and have been warming up some in the microwave but wonder maybe it's not a good idea?

Hmm, that's exactly what I do too, because I like the warming effect of the broth. I drink it cold sometimes too when I don't want to nuke it.

And about pressure cookers, I cook my veggies in one too. But I think it's like boiling too, because the water first boils inside it before it turns into steam. But I just got a steamer insert so the water doesn't touch them. But this has decreased the space considerably and I'm wondering if I should get a larger 16 qt. pressure cooker.

 

[Gertrudes]

Hi Gertrudes,

Having a hormonal imbalance is an issue that I have had for many years. A chiropractor that does kinesiology tested me and tested this product that worked very well. I take it twice a day. It is called Total Female by Nutriwest. My symptoms start to subside within days. Though I believe I may be committed to take this for sometime. You can view the product info at this link. Then just scroll down the menu to Total Female. See if this may be helpful.

http://www.nutriwest.com/products/products.htm

Here is a web site you can purchase the product.

https://www.professionalsupplementcenter.com/MoreInfo.aspx?productbaseid=12471

Hope this is useful to you.

Thank you Bluestar.

I had a look at the product and the only problem is that it has flaxseeds. I am not yet completely sure of whether I am flaxseed intolerant or not, but I did have to cut out on a supplement I was taking because it was giving me skin problems (again ), and the only thing that I could isolate in it that all my other supplement don't have, were the flaxseeds. I will test them properly in due time though.

We have introduced plenty of animal fats (ghee, duck/goose fat, fat from bacon I cook), I take 10 to 15 g of fish oil a day (and digestive enzymes). Tigersoap says my skin 'glows' more than before (in a good way), which is nice, but I still have two concerns: the skin on my face is super super dry (like sandpaper) and I have two or three tiny whiteheads on my cheeks every morning. I had used argan oil to moisturize, but it seems to give me more whiteheads, so I stopped (I have less when I stop). I'm now using macadamia oil and it seems I break out a bit less. I used to think spots meant that the bowels were not clean, but I had three courses of bowel cleanses in the last year and a half (the last one in July), so it seems to be something else.
Maybe it's the hormones? I've just begun progesterone cream and I hope it will help. Or maybe the liver? My tongue is coated after all.

I'm glad to hear that your skin is getting better Mrs Tigersoap! The USD is also having the same effect in me, my partner says that my skin is glowing, and my skin problems disappeared entirely, that is apart from when I react to fats.
Have you tried anti fungals for Candida? I am mentioning this because a coated tongue seems to indicate a fungal issue. When I was researching about Candida anti fungals, powdered Nystatin was often recommended in order to kill the fungus that we might have on the tongue and esophagus. I wasn't aware that a coated tongue could be caused by something else though, like the liver as you mentioned.

I find it amazing how the USD is making my body so much more sensitive. Yesterday I ate coconut oil that caused a bum on my forehead almost instantly. Because I didn't want to through the rest of the food away, I ate it again. I should have known better really...The bump grew so much that several people asked me whether I had banged my head against a wall!

Yes, please let us know.

Will do. Probably not that soon, as I don't intend to test another fat in the near future.

It's kind of hard to find anything reverent on the net and probably there is good info here on the forum already.
However, while looking I found this pdf:

Thanks for the info Andi!

 

[T.C.]

I had quinoa for the first time today.

I gently fried a tricolore of celery, onion and carrot in ghee, then I fried up some turkey mince. Then I cooked some quinoa and mixed it all together. It was really nice. I had it with some buckwheat pancakes.

 

[andi]

I had quinoa for the first time today.

Great T.C.! I know about quinoa for a while but I have never took interest, but decided that I want to try it too. Thkx


I have question for you all and decided to place it here.
I have buckwheat 3 times a day, with every meal. I have no problem with it, I absolutely love it. But i was thinking that probably I am having too much. I run through a bag of 1kg in 3 day.
How much are you guys having? Does it case you any trouble if you take too much?

As a side note -A trick about buckwheat that I found is how to eliminate the smell of it. I simply add tree times as much salt then usual. The result is not three times as salty but just a lost in smell. Bizarre. It could be the egg combination too.



edit: I should of posted the question in the ''Buckwheat Crepes and Pancakes'' thread.