So I had cake for breakfast today, don't judge me sometimes I need the comfort! Don't get me wrong, the majority of the time I eat a healthy and lupus friendly diet! But today I needed the sweet goodness of carrot cake.
I am not a fan if diets; I don't like to feel restricted in the foods I eat and to be honest I never stick to them. Which is why, when I got sick I had a look at the lupus friendly diets and thought "no thanks now pass the chocolate". There are, however some foods that do help with my lupus symptoms which is what we all want really!
Fish, fish and yet more fish....
It's a good job I enjoy eating fish because if I didn't my daily food intake would be half of what it is.
I was a vegetarian for years, so the idea of eating fish seemed upsetting at first but with all the evidence that fish oils help the joints it seemed worth it.
I now eat almost no meat and only fish and I have noticed some change in the suppleness of my joints. Not a great difference but something is better than nothing!
Switching from rice to noodles..
I used to eat quite a lot of rice, up until I started getting gastrointestinal symptoms. Now when I eat rice I notice two things....my swelling gets worse and my stomach pains get worse.
(By the way this is not my plate of noodles...I'm allergic to shell fish...does look good though)
So I have cut white rice out, now opting for noodles or brown rice instead if white and the change has helped me dramatically.
I am a lot less bloated and swollen. I find that when I eat the brown rice I don't end up feeling sluggish and I stop upsetting my stomach.
Red potatoes if any at all...
Potatoes come from the nightshade family....along with tomatoes and peppers etc. Nightshade among other things is known to cause pain and swelling, not something I knew until I was diagnosed.
Now I love chips....I will admit it, they are one of my favorites. So the thought of going without potatoes is far to upsetting! So I have begun looking for alternatives and have found that switching to red potatoes, that hold less nightshade, are much better for me.
They haven't taken away the pain, but I am much less sore after eating meals and they mean that I can still enjoy some chips every now and again!
Porridge and muesli for breakfast
6 out of 7 days a week I am trying to eat a small breakfast. As I get some stomach symptoms caused by the lupus, I want to try and keep it gently active. This includes a small breakfast that includes a fiber based food....gotta keep my stomach going.
I have very little time for breakfast before work, so mostly I eat at my desk and have found that porridge is quick and aids my digestion emensly!
What foods have you found that help?
