| Mitsou's FM Diet Please note this is my version, I make no claim other than that I feel better and am slowly losing weight when I follow it. The most sensible thing for anyone is to get a dietician or nutritionist go over diets and see if they will work for the individual. I eat no meats because of allergies so all my protein comes from other sources. This could be a problem for some people.Recommendations given for the FM diet by Dr.Devin Starlanyl are to eliminate refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine,foods high in saturated fats, high-calorie, high-fat, junk food or in other words the wicked things we know we should avoid but the very foods that our bodies cry out for during a bad flare. So the first thing I want to say is don't try to go straight out on this diet during a bad flare. The second thing is that many people may experience headaches or fatigue for the first week or two of this diet. Drinking lots of water (at least 8 glasses a day) will help to flush out your body so if there are toxins causing those headaches and fatigue you're doing your part to get rid of them. If you've read my notes in survival you will know how I feel about giving up caffeine. I admire people who can do it but I don't really want to. I've made my compromises and haven't altered them. I allow myself one coffee a day although I don't always have it and two to three cups of tea which I usually have. I rarely drink alcohol but I don't feel guilty about having an occassional drink. However, I discovered shortly after getting FM that my body doesn't seem to process alcohol in the same way as pre FM time. Excessive drinking is out of the question because my body seems to have problems getting rid of the alcohol and my first experience of a week long hangover was my last. I do try to limit refined sugars and saturated fats but I tend to believe moderation is better than extremes either way. I try to not have processed foods because I believe the closer something is to the way nature made it the better it is for us. This philosophy allows me to keep cream in my coffee and maple syrup in the occassional crepe. I try to eat whole wheat products and brown rice rather than the refined products. I eat red potatoes instead of yellow because the glycemic level is lower but occassionally if I'm visiting friends I won't turn down french fries. I'll take fewer and double my green and yellow vegetables. I have cooked oatmeal three mornings a week and salmon once a week because according to Barry Sears this helps balance out cholesteral levels. I like both foods and I enjoy having some time to myself in the morning so it works for me. All food guides recommend 7-10 servings of fuit and vegetables a day( does not include potatoes). I usually assume that means one piece of fruit( apple, banana and one-half cup of vegetables)(banana counts as 2 servings if you are dieting). Now here's the best part, after a couple of days of this you don't have room for sweets and you do have more energy. NB: If you suspect you may have food allergies corn and citrus fruits are the ones to watch here.The closer fruits and vegetables are to natural state the better but if eating raw wash first in case of pesticide sensitivities. The FM diet is based on percentages of calories, not grams):40%carbohydrate/30%protein/30%fat for each meal and snack. Amazingly I have found if you follow this you usually end up eating more than you want at the first meals and snacks. Strangely enough over a few days you discover you are actually eating less because protein and fat digest more slowly and you don't get hungry as quickly. Next Page - Diet Stress copyright� 2000, Mitsou. All Rights Reserved. |