Diet Changes For Chronic Illness

For the last few months I have been doing a lot of diet changes for chronic illness which I have to admit, has made a huge difference!

Now there are many ways you can tackle this, find the right diet for you but one thing to consider is getting a more plant based diet in your life.

There are many reasons why plants are good for you, that includes your fruit and veg. You don’t have to stop eating meat, but be more mindful of the things you are putting into your body.

So for example, if you suffer from inflammation, you want to avoid foods that can cause inflammation such as the nightshades (tomatoes, aubergine and potato!) and processed and fatty foods of course.

Depending on what chronic illness you have, there is a diet that is right for you. But I warn you not to eliminate all food groups (Unless vegan/vegetarian then it’s a bit more restricted).

Another thing you could consider is vitamin nutritional health testing which can give you so much insight into your diet and if you make any changes, they can look into whether this is working for you or not. You can click here for a 15% discount!

We are all in a way deficient of a vitamin or 2, some people quite a lot. This could be from eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sun or maybe you can’t metabolise them.

I know my iron is low, so I eat iron rich (vegetarian) foods which has increased my iron levels and no longer anaemic, although it took a lot of work!

So here are my diet changes for chronic illness below.

Diet Changes For Chronic Illness

Inflammation Reduction

I found from tests that I had chronic inflammation but it was never really pinpointed, but came from mainly joints (going by pain and stiffness).

So the first thing I did was check for foods which can actually cause, or increase inflammation levels. I stopped all processed foods.

Now this meant I had to limit foods in the nightshade family which is tomatoes and potatoes primarily, there are many more in there so do recommend to check.

Having an anti-inflammatory diet does really benefit me and my inflammation markers were less 6 months later without the use of medication.

Turmeric is used daily, either in a tea or in food, as this really does help with inflammation.

I also use essential oils on my joints which help reduce pain and inflammation.

Plant based diet

I live mostly on a plant based diet for many reasons. The main reason is I can digest it much easier.

f this is something you are interested in, you could check out the Morning Complete 6 month review to see how someone got on with taking a wellness drink over a good amount of time so that you can make an informed decision as to whether this particular product could be a good supplement for you.

I’ve got mild Gastroparesis so I don’t digest food too well, my metabolism is very slow in comparison to the average person. I wanted to avoid taking medication so I tried changing my diet.

No longer does meat pass my lips, I avoid all meat. I’d found that meat is hard for me to digest and had a lot of discomfort after eating it. So that was the first to go.

I don’t eat a lot of Quorn or meat substitutes as they are generally processed and not too healthy. So I started cooking more from scratch and including vegetables instead. So if I had curry for example, instead of meats or substitutes, I used vegetables.

I’ve got to admit, it does cost more eating vegetables every day but I feel so much better for it.

Most giant chains now have plant based options you can have which helps for your diet changes for chronic illness.

No Sugar

Of course, cutting sugar was a good thing to consider.

I stopped having sugar in foods and drinks quite a number of years ago, but hadn’t realised just how many hidden sugars there are!

So I started searching what I was eating and avoiding sugar, switching to a small blob of Manuka honey which is good for you.

It’s amazing how many benefits Manuka honey has and it’s a wonderful substitute.

You want to be careful if you use sweeteners also as some sweeteners can cause really bad side effects, similar to chronic fatigue and all sorts!

Switching to herbal tea

I switched to herbal teas instead of coffee or pop (like diet coke) and found I had more energy, slept better and turmeric tea for example, helps with inflammation.

There are so many diet changes for chronic illnesses, you just need to do a lot of research into this and check what is beneficial for you!

The family of mints and chamomile are good for stomach issues, whilst valerian, lavender and hops are good for stress and sleep.

Look up herbs for your illness and there is a multitude of them, but I do advise to speak to a professional and check with a pharmacist or GP if you are taking any medications as some herbs can interact with other medications.

If you are not a fan of tea, you can try cordials instead! Ginger, honey and lemon cordial is beautiful hot, cold or with fizzy water (Try it)

Foods for your condition!

If you search for condition and then something like foods that helps, you will see many sites that give you advice on what you can eat and foods to also avoid.

I would honestly recommend speaking to a dietitian as they can help you with what to eat and not to eat. They have so much experience but also know what is harmful and what is helpful.

Now I searched for foods which gave me energy throughout the day, instead of quick bursts of energy. I also found foods that are light, easy to digest and could eat often.

There will also be foods to avoid, if you have stomach issues, you firstly need to find out what, but then what foods can help and heal, but what to avoid.

Final thoughts

Should you make any big changes, do make sure you do this slowly, taking away and including foods slowly over a period of a few months.

Big changes can cause things like a health crisis where your body is trying to adapt to the good changes, the toxins are filtering through your blood too fast and can cause a multitude of health problems short term.

*This is a collaboration post.

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