Red Meat

Red meat is thought to be pro-inflammatory. Actually, this is because the animals from which the meat comes from are not fed their native diet. Grass-fed, Organic beef, for example, has a more favorable Omega fatty acid profile (thus less likely to promote inflammation) than it's non-organic, standard feedlot diet counterpart.

Also, meat breaks down into ammonia in the body. While the body has enzymes to detoxify this ammonia, the Lyme can contribute a lot more ammonia to the system. So if one's ammonia detox enzymes have been overloaded, or if one has genetic variants of the genes affecting the amount and effectiveness of these enzymes, then one will need to reduce their total protein intake to some extent in order to give the body a chance to detox the ammonia from the Lyme. Incidentally, ammonia in the brain is thought to be one of the main causes of Lyme brain fog...

There are herbal formulas that can help the body detox the ammonia from the brain and body tissues, but I do not know how these herbs work - if they just up-regulate the activity of the ammonia detox enzymes, or if they actually mop up the excess ammonia themselves...

I have been a vegetarian since 1988 because of the poor health that eating meat caused me (combined with a few allergies to meats).

Take care,

I eat red meat but cut back recently as requested by my homeopathic doctor. I'm trying to add more veggies and grains.
But I cant eat too much wheat either. I've always had low blood sugar and so always needed the
protein that meat provides. I was a vegetarian for a few years and noticed when I added meats back I had more energy.
I'm trying to get more proteins from nuts, seeds and beans now.

betterhealth said...
No chocolate or sugars for six weeks now, no wonder I'm cranky!

I know I would be!!!!

Maybe you should try Kefir? It tastes a lot like yogurt, comes in yummy flavors or plain, but has a lot more of the beneficial bacteria the gut needs. It can be found in most larger grocery store chains, usually by the yogurt, unless they have a 'natural foods' section, then check there.

I actually 'grow' my own kefir, and I use stevia to sweeten it just enough so that it isn't bitter.

When I was really sick and lost 75 pounds in six months last year, my son told me about a "diet" that basically consists of eating natural organic foods, pesticide free grass fed beef, lamb, fish (wild caught salmon mostly) chicken, etc. You can read about this here:www.westonaprice.org/ This way of eating was the beginning of my recovery back to health before I was treated with natural medicines.

I also learned about a well known Naturopathic Doctor, Dr.Schmid, who himself had Lyme disease and got better by eating natural foods. He used to be a strict vegetarian until he learned about Weston Price who did a lot of research on various cultures, the way they ate, etc.

Below is a link to an interesting article Dr. Ron wrote titled, "Recovering from Vegetarianism". His website has a lot of interesting information on it. Much of it was quite an "eye opener" for me when I started reading it and began to adapt to this way of eating. If you read nothing else, read this:

www.drrons.com/diet-chronic-disease-and-optimal-health.htm

www.drrons.com/recovering-from-vegetarianism-toc.htm

Also, Sally Fallon, author of, "Nourishing Traditions" has written an excellent book that has helped a lot of people get healthier just from the way they eat www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735.

All of the above information is not really considered "Politically Correct" in terms of today's philosophy of "healthy eating", but it my opinion, this is the way that works best for me and I believe it's made a big difference in my health. It used to be that anything with coconut oil was thought to be a bad thing, but the truth is, coconut oil is one of the most healthiest oils you can eat. It's especially good for those of us with Lyme disease.

Off my soap box now. Read the links and come to your own conclusions. I think you'll find this interesting reading, even if you disagree with it, and I'm sure a few of you will.

Gary

Post Edited (GWB) : 5/20/2010 6:31:38 PM (GMT-6)