Hi Calianna, the doctor has long since retired, so I can't answer any of the questions with authority.
I know that arachidonic acid is very inflammatory, and this is an anti-inflammatory diet. Other than the nightshades, it has nothing to do with food sensitivity and everything to do with inflammation.
There are Arachidonic Acid charts available on the 'net, and they might be helpful for you.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
I know you've shared this list before on here, and I'm curious about a few things on the list.
Does the diet mention any reason for avoiding saturated fats, such as fatty cuts of beef? The polyunsaturated I can understand - damaged oils, and not a good ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. But the beef I don't get - I would have thought that the vast majority of the problem came from polyunsaturates, instead of natural saturated fats. When it comes to beef, what's considered to be a lean enough cut?
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I think even though grass-fed has a better omega 3 to 6 ratio, it still has omega 6 (AA). I have no idea what a lean enough cut is. I eat beef once or twice a week, either a burger or a tenderloin steak.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
I think you've mentioned that you use the grass fed ground beef from Aldi, and if I recall correctly (from the last time I happened to see grass fed ground beef at aldi), their grass fed is 85%/15%. Is that considered lean enough? I ask because a lot of people wouldn't consider ground beef to be lean unless it's at least 90%/10%, and would prefer 93%/7% or even 97%/3%, or they'd consider it to be fatty, instead of lean.
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I am getting ground beef from Publix now, it's Florida grass-fed and tastes better than Aidi's. It's a bit more expensive, but life is short, I've given up so many foods, I don't mind spending a bit more.
For steaks I get grass-fed and trim the fat off before putting it on the grill.
100% grass-fed doesn't have the fat marbling through it (less fat) and to my taste buds tastes better, a little sweeter.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
I don't see pork mentioned - is that allowed? As I understand it, pork has a nearly perfect balance of fats: Saturated and monounsaturated are nearly equal, while polyunsaturated is less than 1/3 of each of the other two. Or are you truly limited to beef and fish?
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I eat lots of pork, including bacon. I introduced the bacon slowly after I was pain free and it didn't bother me. For pork chops, I trim the fat off before cooking and I eat leaner cuts of ham. Pork cutlets are nice too.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
As as LCer, I doubt you're using oatmeal (unless it's in minuscule amounts), due to the carb content, so there's one thing that's allowed that's automatically off the approved list fot a LCer.
I see a trend on that list towards mostly lower carb foods, so have to wonder what makes whole grain breads any better than white bread (aside from the supposedly glowing aura of fiber in the whole grains), because even whole wheat bread is going to be mostly carbs. Years ago, I used to make 100% whole grain rye. There's almost no gluten at all in rye, so it rises very, very little, and the loaf comes out extremely dense... about like a brick. (even thought it was still delicious - just had to slice it extremely thin, so I could chew it) If you want it like bakery rye, it will need approximately half wheat (white) flour, and preferably some high gluten (white) flour, so it can rise better, and give it a more edible, less brick-like texture.
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I'm very low carb (less than 20/day). I eat no oatmeal and there are only two "breads" that I eat (1) a millet and flax flatbread and (2) a zero carb almond flour bread I get from netrition. It's a little pricey so I don't eat it often.
Every once in a while my DW makes either faux pancakes or macaroni with almond and/or coconut flour. It reminds me of the 'good old days' when I could eat starchy stuff.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
I have to wonder why peanuts are on the approved list with nuts, since they're actually a legume, rather than a nut. Not that I do well with either peanuts or tree nuts - Peanuts don't seem to like me  , and tree nuts are too addictive for me. So another whole section that would be off that short little approved list for me. |
Peanuts are not nuts, but neither are almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, or macadamias. Most of these are seeds from drupe fruit or other seeds. Culinary they are all classified as nuts, but botanically the only true nuts people eat are chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns.
I'm always amused at the "Peanuts are not a nut" meme, when neither are most of the other ones. Who knows how those memes get started.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
Low Glycemic veggies and fruit (aka, pretty much the only ones we eat on LC anyway) - no problem with that.
Not being able to eat any chicken or eggs at all though... that would really, seriously limit my food choices.
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I hear you there. Chicken and eggs are the top sources of arachidonic acid in the diet—an omega-6 fatty acid involved in our body's inflammatory response. I looked this up a long time ago, and I think weight for weight chicken and eggs have many times more AA than beef.
After I became pain free, I tried introducing foods one at a time. Both chicken and egg yolks brought the pain back. That makes sense since they have many times the AA that other foods do.
For me that's sad, because I love them both, but I love being pain free even more.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
Whey proteins are allowed, I'm assuming in the form of whey protein powders. How about dairy in general? Milk is high in carbs to try to fit into a LC plan, but plain greek yogurt cuts the carb count in half, making it doable. Cheese - very low in carbs, but high in saturated fats.
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I don't drink milk. The heavy whipping cream in my coffee is grass-fed organic. I do eat a lot of cheese, but it's either European or Australian because it's A2 which is less inflammatory and the artificial hormones are banned there. When it's available I get 100% grass-fed cheese. KerryGold has some nice ones.
The whey protein I drink comes from grass-fed jersey (A2) cows, but thankfully a USA product.
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Originally Posted by Calianna
I don't mean to make this sound like the Spanish Inquisition - just trying to figure out the logic behind why some items are on the yes list, and others on the no list, and why other types of food aren't even mentioned.
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I have no idea. I don't think it was meant as an exhaustive list, but a general guideline.
One more thing, before the diet I was taking glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, SAMe, and rubbing emu oil products like Blue Goo on myself. I ditched them all except the glucosamine. The doctor said it helps to keep me supplied with sulfur which the joints need.
You might do what I did, follow it strictly until you become completely pain free (assuming it works for you), then introduce one food at a time and see what the results are.
Bob