ME/CFS Parents - Starch free diet....

Julie

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New Zealand
Gender: female

Starch free diet....
Feb 23^rd, 2010, 11:54pm

Hi,
I have had M.E. for 12 years and have been gluten free/dairy free for most of that time because it helped with the M.E. symptoms. A year ago our paediatrician put my children on a starch free diet, so our whole family went on it to support them and it has helped me enormously. It has helped with most of the M.E. symptoms. I have a lot less nausea and other digestive issues, I am not constantly sick with colds and infections and I have a lot more energy. It is a huge committment but it has been worth it for me. We eat fruit, non starchy vege (no potatoes/kumara/corn), meat, eggs and nuts and seeds. I bake with coconut and nut flours and the only oils we use are coconut, olive and flax oils. I was a dairy free vegetarian for 20 years before starting this so it was a big change.....
I don't want to put this forward as some miracle as I have no idea if this is working on some other health issue that I was not aware of or specifically the M.E. However, it has given me the biggest change to my health over the past 12 years, so if there is a chance it can help anyone else I would rather put it out there as a possibility!
julie

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sarahfoxy

Ex Member

Re: Starch free diet....
Reply #1 - May 8^th, 2010, 5:03pm

hi
i am on a glutenfree diet for coeliac disease, and have to avoid nuts because of other allergies.
i did try a nightshade free diet (no potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers etc)
and my dietician advised me to eat sweet potato instead as it's not a nightshade. unfortunately i found i was also allergic to sweet potato, and with a lot of gf bread and flours containing potato starch, i found it too limiting on my diet..
i am wondering what to try next, and i might mention this to the dietician,
and see if it would be workable with my other dietary needs.
thanks for the suggestion, i'm happy to try anything that might work

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Chantelle

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x1|Hessle, East Yorkshire
Gender: female

Re: Starch free diet....
Reply #2 - May 11^th, 2010, 2:29pm

Some people are miss-diagnosed with CFS / ME and they really have coeliac disease I am interested in getting myself checked out as it sounds as though I may have coeliac disease as well as other things.
Certainly many people find that altering their diet can help. I am pretty much dairy free as I know I feel yuck after I eat dairy but I can't quite give up ice cream Grin

Julie I am so glad it worked for you.

I do worry that if I have to cut out another food group from my diet I will not have much I can eat. I need to avoid nuts and dairy as well as most spices and pasta Roll Eyes

I must get tested for coeliac disease though - I hear there are tests in the chemists!

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sarahfoxy

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Re: Starch free diet....
Reply #3 - May 11^th, 2010, 5:33pm

hi chantelle

it's worth getting checked. it's probably best to ask gp to test, as you really need follow up etc if it's positive.
one friend of mine did a self test, got a positive result, took all gluten etc out of her diet felt much better, and went to gp to tell him how much better she was and then had to go back to eating it for 2 months so that the hospital could do a biopsy and formally diagnose it.

i think they start with a blood test, and then do a biopsy if it's positive. the follow up is important as coeliac disease gives you a predisposition for anaemia, thyroid problems, diabetes etc.

i was diagnosed 15yrs ago, and my mum has been coeliac for 20yrs, my husbands brother has PKU, so has to eat a low protein diet, my daughter was on a dairy free diet for a while too, so all in all it's rarer in our family to eat normally!lol

hope it works out for you

sarah

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Chantelle Global Moderator Offline Away with the fairies! Posts: 6802 x1\|Hessle, East Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Starch free diet.... Reply #4 - May 11^th, 2010, 8:11pm I was going to home test to take the positive result to the GP in order to make him test me He works great as a GP if you tell him what to do and prove it!
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sarahfoxy

Ex Member

Re: Starch free diet....
Reply #5 - May 11^th, 2010, 10:25pm

sorry, tend to get my nursey head on Embarrassed

i just wouldn't like to think of anyone else going through what my friend did. she said it was like torture having to force herself to eat stuff she knew was going to make her feel worse and worse.
good luck with the gp, all dr's work best when told what to do!lol
(that's why i was a nurse not a dr) Wink

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Chantelle Global Moderator Offline Away with the fairies! Posts: 6802 x1\|Hessle, East Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Starch free diet.... Reply #6 - May 13^th, 2010, 11:14am Quote: sorry, tend to get my nursey head on Nursey heads are often very useful. Looking at my diet I'm not sure how much gluten I eat any way. I have a couple of slices of bread a day but no cerial, pasta, don't do pastry very much, parhaps a couple of biscuits every day. No idea what it is in TBH
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sarahfoxy

Ex Member

Re: Starch free diet....
Reply #7 - May 13^th, 2010, 7:32pm

hi
as a rough guide gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

also any foods that may contain derivatives of these, bread crumbs on fish, thickened sauces, ovaltine/horlicks malted drinks, barley fruit squashes, some hot chocolates, and the usual suspects of flours, bread, pasta, pastry, pizza etc. also beer, lager and stout.

can't think of anything else off the top of my head, brain is tired! but you get the gist of it. i think after 15 yrs, it's just second nature to me now, so i don't really think about it.
with all of the allergy labels that are on food these days, it is pretty easy to check

hope this is of some use

sarah

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Chantelle Global Moderator Offline Away with the fairies! Posts: 6802 x1\|Hessle, East Yorkshire Gender:	Re: Starch free diet.... Reply #8 - May 15^th, 2010, 12:54pm That is some use thanks - I think I only have bread and then baking so I will look up some alternative recipies. Thanks - didn't think I ate lots.
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