Re: In need of some help ... (don't know whats wrong)

Thanks kathryn101, I will cc this to you (aswell as posting on the forum).

What do I eat .. depends on what diet I am currently trying, and who is trying to help me.

When I am in "give up mode" (i.e. not trying to help myself, no energy to do so etc) I tend to have:

(a) Breakfast - typical Sugar laden cerial based stuff, toast and jam etc.
(b) Snack - crisps.
(c) Lunch - sandwiches with salad, or leftovers from the previous nights dinner.
(d) Snack - fruit or chockie bar from snack machine.
(e) Dinner - anything .. chinese, mexican, indican, roast etc etc.
(f) Drink - water and beer, and the occasional cup of tea (though try and avoid).

The diet presented by my GP or the current naturapath is typically based around:

(a) No sugar, alcohol, caffiene, junk food (possibly no dairy).
(b) Lots of veg, fruit, brown rice, wholegrain bread.
(c) Water.

I really have little tolerance for fruit (all if not most). It just makes me hungry quite quickly, and helps bring the brain fog around. Fruite juice is a killer .. my head seems to shut down quite fast after havingorange juice in particular.

My tolerance for vegetables seems to be reducing aswell, and not just the high starch stuff either. This led me to look into salicylates - when I heard about them. All this time of thinking that veges were "good for you". BAH !

I have given up alcohol, since the start of the year. I haven't drunk anything other than alcohol or water (plenty of gets consume) for years now, so no "soft / fizzy / sugary" drinks. I found caffiene started giving me grief about 10 years ago, so try and avoid it like the plague (sometimes when I have bad fog I say "stuff it" and have a cup of tea - of course it makes me worse, but by then I am beyond caring).

Even herbal teas - peppermint especially bring on the symptoms fast, so I avoid them - mostly just stick to water.

The only diet that seemed to work for me (albeit I lost a lot of weight whilst on it, and generally felt a low level of fatigue - but my head cleared) was:

(a) Brekkie - rolled oats and low fat, natural yoghurt.
(b) Lunch - meat (lamb, chick, beef) with lettuce and cheese.
(c) Dinner - as per lunch.

After 2 months of this, my head had cleared a lot, and from memory I more or less had the Sugar cravings / dips, under control.
Whilst doing this, I didn't snack - the less times I eat the better (or atleast I can't find a snack that doesn't make me feel worse).

I believe that diary is apparently 'mucous' forming, but natural yoghurt and cheese are two things that don't give my head grief and I like eating them. Furthermore when I do eat them, I don't see any noticable difference in my sinus condition (my nose doesn't feel more blocked or runny).

Interesting what you say:

"A lot of the foods you mention are 'mucous forming' foods...and they will cause your sinuses to act up...and give you tremendous pressure around your eyes."

When I notice a change (even a dramatic one), it can come and go in a matter of hours - does mucous happen that fast ?

Back to the vegetables thing, because I have felt pretty ordinary (and probably worse) in the last year whilst trying to eat more vegetables (and less junk and meat) I was starting to wonder if intolerances were playing a factor so I started looking into into intolerances (due to unnatural, and natural chemicals).

I have read that food intolerances can exhibit hypoglycemic symptoms, especially Salicylates. Having read that "If you can tolerate aspirin, you are like wise not salicylate sensitive" (over at http://users.bigpond.net.au/allergydietitian/fi/sal.html), I thought I would try an experiment yesterday - and took 2 x 500mg (the recommended adult dose on the pack was 1-2 tabs) Asprin tabs.

Badaboom, badaboom - within 30 minutes I am orbiting around saturn, *and* my eyes are almost shut. It felt like when I take grape seed extract now, and lasted a good 4-5 hours (petering off in the last hour or so). Admittedly I don't normally takes asprin (normal paracetamol when required) so maybe this is what asprin is normally meant to do I don't know. Interesting test, but I guess not a clear indication of a problem (I guess only avoidance can prove that).

Anyway ... I had a night without the rejuvenX last night, and felt better for it this morning. The kids woke me at 6:30 and I was pretty fresh.
Brekkie was rolled oats and milk (ran out of yoghurt). Not a big milk fan, never have been, even as a kid at school I never drank the milk - just don't like the taste - don't believe I am lactose intolerant though.
Cruised through the morning with little grief (no snack - yesterday had a carrot and cashews and felt worse for it).

I think I might try the "good" diet I mentioned above for a month. If I can get my head clear (or even semi-clear), then I will feel capable of achieving anything. With a dud head, regardless of what else I solve - I am next to useless.

I would welcome any dietary suggestions.