Signs your Diet is Right for You
A lot of you have been asking different questions about the best diets with regards to PMDD and while I answer I know it’s usually pretty general. No red meat, No processed foods, No caffeine, etc… and although some of the PMDD triggers like the red meat one will be different for us than for others, I believe we can take it steps further. Learning more about ourselves, as individuals.
I have come across a new site called, Balanced Existence, and I believe that you can really gain a lot by checking out some of his nutrition & diet articles. He talks about how diets are not ‘one size fits all’. I have to agree with him on these first 2 articles that I found. This is part 2, but if you start with it you will be fine. Check out his site for more articles. He speaks about over all well-being which as we all know living with PMDD requires us to find balance in EVERY aspect of our lives.
He is not a stranger to illness, he had heart surgery in his early years and lived with chronic fatigue.
Signs Your Diet is Right for You – Part 2
Jul.14, 2009
In the first part of this article I introduced the idea that our medical systems are sick systems not health systems. They are systems in which disease and death are studied furiously. However, studying illness, sickness and disease tells us very little about good health. It tells us very little about what the healthiest amongst us do that helps them to remain that way. So today I would like to share with you the key signs you can look for that will tell you that your current eating habit (diet) is right for you.
The diet that is best for your unique genetic makeup that evolved out of very specific environmental pressures is one that plays to your genetic strengths and not your genetic weaknesses. Evolution is the paradigm that governs biology and we are biological organisms. Therefore, evolution is the only way in which correct nutritional decisions make sense. However, while we may all be as different on the inside as we are on the outside the signs of a correct diet remain constant.
The Signs
If you’re eating the right foods for your unique body put together in the right meal combination you should be able to go for approximately four hours between meals without feeling hungry. Throughout your day you should experience a consistent sense of mental clarity and enjoy good steady energy levels. When stress comes your way your capacity to handle that stress should be quite a bit better than most of the people you observe around you. If your diet is right for you then after workouts you should recover quickly with minimal soreness. You should have no cravings. You should eliminate one foot or 30cm of solid waste (poop) from your body each day. In general you should enjoy a general sense of wellbeing.Tips
Some dead simple tips you can implement right away include eating some sort of protein with every main meal. That could be raw nuts such as walnuts (good source of OMEGA-3 fatty acid), fish, free range or organic chicken, eggs, grass fed beef and so forth. While you’re doing that make sure you rotate your food to simulate the conditions of diverse food sources our nomadic ancestors evolved under. Remember evolution governs nutrition and physiologically humans haven’t changed in 100,000 years. That means you’re a modern woman or man walking around in a cave woman or man’s body.Farming has only been around for less than 6,000 years. If you eat the same thing every day eventually it will make you sick. This is one reason why allergies are such a big problem today. Everything on the supermarket shelves has peanuts, soy, wheat and yeast extract in it. Also organic sugar even though it is organic is still junk. Have some berries in organic plain sugar free yogurt instead. Or have an apple. If you have cravings eat some protein. It’s the most satiating type of food available. Don’t be afraid of fat if it comes from good natural sources like animals that have lived the way nature intended them to. Drink the right amount of good clean water.
What to Do Now
Now that you know what to look for from a diet that is right for you can begin to experiment with your diet. Change something and pay attention to what your body tells you. Tweak something else and listen. This is the path to good health as in most cases diet is the single biggest stress your body experiences each day. Diet is a simple way to exponentially improve the quality of your life.I know from long hard life experience that without your health you are very likely to watch your dreams pass you by. Yet, with good health anything is possible. It’s not hard or difficult. Simply begin today to listen to your body and make small adjustments. Stay positive, keep learning and learn to stop struggling through life. Realize that this is the only game in town. Soon the small drops fill the bucket.
I’ve written a lot about diet in the past so you might want to take a cruise through the archive page. If you enjoyed this one I’m sure you’ll find lots of posts there which you will find interesting and informative.
By: Stephen Cox, BalancedExistence
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Comments (4)
Debbie
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
I read the above article with interest but also some worry. I am a registered dietitian (in the UK) and joined this site as support for someone else (I do not have PMDD). I would strongle advise against eliminating foods such as red meat, dairy, etc from your diet unless YOU have suffered unpleasant symptoms on more than several occassions. By excluding foods and food groups you could potentially run the risk of becoming deficient in particular nutrients which is obviously not beneficial for your health.
I would also be wary of any nutrition articles unless you know the authors full background and what they evidence they have based their article on. It is very easy to call yourself a “nutritionist” but to be a dietitian you have to be regulated and completed a recognised university course.
I would refer anyone who has concerns about diet to look at “my pyramid” in the USA and the “Eatwell plate” in the UK. These are evidence based diet models that show you a healthy diet. I would suggest anyone needing more advice seek out a registered dietitian via the american or british dietetic association or by seeing their doctor.
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admin Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for posting and that is awesome that you joined to help support someone else.
I absolutely agree that if you don’t have any problems eating certain foods- Great!
For those Women that are still struggling with their PMDD AND are putting forth all the necessary steps for improvement such as exercising daily, adequate sleep, low stress, vitamins and are cutting out processed foods- sugars, caffeine, nicotine, etc… there are other steps that have shown improvement in Women with PMDD.
Women that have PMDD are super sensitive, usually in all areas, including food. Red meat and dairy are 2 that seem to cause us more problems during our 2 wk hell time. Cutting out all the time isn’t necessary, but when it comes to our bodies and how they react with foods during this time (though no doc can tell us exactly why) this has been known to help alleviate extra symptoms.
I wish we could just follow the pyramid, but for a lot of Women are carb intake needs to decrease ONLY during our 2 wk time too. Our bodies are alot different, unfortunately, during this time.
This is also where vitamins, etc… come into play so importantly.
I recommend anyone changing their diets always consult their doctor, or the person they turn to for all their medical needs.
In addition to their schooling & credentials, I like to look at their background, lifestyle, etc…
For example, I am not a doctor or a nurse, but I can guarantee you I can give you more info on what it’s like to live with PMDD, raise a family with PMDD, work thru relationship issues with PMDD, try to hold a job & deal with failures because of PMDD, etc… You aren’t going to find a doctor, regardless of how many degrees he holds or what school he/she went to that will be able to give you that same sort of info, unless they have read it.
I have found some dieticians, with schooling that when you check out their info, they are over weight, claim to exercise regularly and can help you eat healthy. I have to go beyond schooling and that is what I do with some articles, look for what is out there that other’s struggle to find.
I always let everyone know I am not a doctor, nurse or dietician, or nutritionist, and I don’t claim to be. Always consult your doc.
What I do claim and stand behind is that if I don’t have a PMDD answer, I will get it for you. I do live with PMDD, have since my teens and have helped and continue helping other Women fight to live without PMDD. Fight for the quality of life that they deserve and work hard to get it.
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hav
August 28th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
totally useless comment, but i love “this is the only game in town.” AWESOME town!!! population: THAT guy!
loved this article. really helpful for me, someone just realizing my diet is a hindrance to my journey towards relieving my pmdd symptoms.
thanks.
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Stephen
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for the opportunity to have my article on this fantastic website! Hopefully it has proved helpful to someone.
I’ve got to wonder whether Debbie the registered dietitian who commented above actually read the article. The whole point was to learn how to experiment one’s self, listen to one’s body and adjust accordingly. You don’t need a study or a degree to figure out this is a good idea. Of course if everyone did this the professional dietitian would be out of a job.
On the other hand so called expert nutritionist and what upon closer examination turn out to be poorly executed evidenced based studies who’s conclusions and recommendations are sometimes not even supported by the study’s own results are responsible for the low-fat, high carbohydrate insanity that has ruined the health and lives of millions of people.
For example in a multi-year British study involving several thousand men, half were asked to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in their diets, to stop smoking and to increase the amounts of unsaturated oils such as margarine and vegetable oils.
After one year, those on the “good” diet had 100% more deaths than those on the “bad” diet, in spite of the fact that those men on the “bad” diet continued to smoke! But in describing the study, the author ignored these results in favor of the politically correct conclusion: “The implication for public health policy in the U.K. is that a preventive program such as we evaluated in this trial is probably effective.”
Rose G, et al, Lancet, 1983, 1:1062-1065
For a fantastic introductory look at fat I highly recommend this article (backed by over 70 references for those so inclined) written by by Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon – http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html
Stephen
Stephen´s last blog ..Why Living in Balance and Harmony with Nature is the Key to Good Health
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