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Friday, 12 November 2021

Changing my diet

 I woke up in the early hours with my back really killing me again.  Since I couldn't get into a comfortable position lying any which way, I got up and sat in my recliner chair....it's firm and supportive, not a squishy one.  We've got into the habit of eating too many carbs lately (bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, mainly) and I know carbs don't do me any good, I'm sure they make my joints ache more - they certainly make me feel sluggish.  So I googled anti-inflammatory foods (may as well make use of my sleeplessness!) - basically, the Mediterranean diet....more veg, some fruits (berries mainly), pulses, wholegrain foods, nuts & seeds, oily fish, chicken and olive oil.  So for a couple of weeks at least (as long as I can maintain it, basically), I'm going to give it a try.  No bread at all, wholegrain pasta or brown basmati rice perhaps once a week, no potatoes, no breakfast cereals....not that I'm much of a breakfast eater, but I do occasionally have cereal.  I've also got into the habit of drinking more coffee - I have those sachets of frothy coffee, decaff unsweetened Nescafe Gold cappuccino being my favourite.  I used to have 1 or 2 a day, now it's more likely to be 3 or 4.  Whilst they're supposedly unsweetened, they do contain glucose, milk and carbs, so aren't particularly low in calories, carbs or fat.

So now I'm going to change things.  On the occasions when I feel like breakfast, I'll have overnight oats with soya milk, nuts and seeds and some berries....obviously that means I have to prepare it the night before - if I don't actually feel like eating it the next morning, then it'll keep in the fridge till the next day.  If I don't want breakfast, then I'll have a glass of soya milk or half-and-half apple juice and water.  Oh, and instead of my early morning first cup of cappuccino, I'm going to have a cup of Earl Grey with clementines (thanks Joy, I got some yesterday and had it this morning, lovely).  I shall also try only having 1 cappuccino per day, drinking the Earl Grey or water instead - I do drink lots of water anyway.

Lunches will be eggs or fish, either fresh smoked mackerel, or tinned mackerel, tuna or sardines, with salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.  Or homemade soup - lentil, split pea or vegetable.

For dinners we'll stick to our usual regime - 3 days meat, 2 days fish, 2 days vegetarian.....but with no potatoes, plenty of green veg and only wholegrain pasta or rice once a week.

Hopefully, this will help me lose a bit of weight, along with reducing the inflammation in my joints.  I'll try and keep up the short gentle walks daily, or if it's raining will try using my exercise bike again - I'd stopped because it was hurting my back.

Husband is happy to go along with my preferred meals, although he'll get his own breakfasts - toast or cereal, most likely.  He'll probably also have bread or wraps with his lunch.  Although he could do with losing weight (he often complains about his weight, but does nothing about it, he's got a big appetite), he doesn't suffer with inflamed joints like I do.

9 comments:

  1. I found refined white flour was the killer for me, I cut everything which uses it out, and then allowed a few treats until I found a good level, basically I don't eat bread unless it's home made by hubby, I'm not keen on pasta so rarely eat it, I do love rice but only white rice. It's a case of balancing your diet to your health.

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  2. I've recently adjusted my diet for similar reasons, but I live alone and it's easier to do that when not having to consider someone else's needs. Does your husband have restrictions on his diet because of his heart failure? I Googled - and there seems to be so many things he should or shouldn't eat. It's not easy, is it?

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    1. Not really a specific diet, he's just supposed to eat healthily. That's kind of fallen by the wayside though, although we eat relatively healthy meals, he does also tend to eat biscuits or handfuls of nuts - too many. His heart failure is well controlled by medication - he was actually discharged by his cardiac consultant a couple of years ago.

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  3. Well done Sooze. I'm finding it a bit difficult to eat fewer carbs as Tony is off at the moment and he is a big carb lover. I've noticed how painful my joints are when I've eaten carbs and must take myself in hand again

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  4. Your proposed diet sound very healthy. I hope it does the trick for you. I love carbs - bread is my weakness, but do find I get very sluggish and bloated if I eat too much. Having said that, We each had 2 crumpets for breakfast today, and Oh my, they were good! xx

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  5. I am currently reading a new version of Patrick Holford's book Say No to Arthritis which I originally bought for my Mum many years ago. Gluten certainly seems a problem however the book explains the complexities of inflammation so it might be worth a read. Good luck with it all.

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  6. I hear extremely good things about the Med way of eating and I really hope it helps you significantly. It's definitely worth a go, I think.
    I'm glad you like that particular Earl Grey; I think it's lovely!
    xx

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  7. We changed our diet over a year ago to loose weight at first we did not eat carbs but it did not agree with us so we now have carbs once a day and muesli for breakfast. I have always cooked from scratch as I have food allergies one if which is berries. Over a year on we do not miss cake or sweets though I do buy a slab if chocolate every few months and we have ice cream as a treat usually when we are out. Hubby lost 15 kg and I lost 9. We do not feel deprived also we spend less in food.

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  8. Sooze, I am exactly the same as you and I hope you feel the benefits soon because the carbs are so hard to resist! My middle name is self sabotage!

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