Life Less Sweet, Less Spicy, and Less Meaty

In the previous post I revealed that I was diagnosed with insulin resistance.  The day after that post I attended my first ever appointment with a naturopathic doctor.  While I was nervous about walking into a natural center for well being, it was a great experience.  There wasn't any weird superstition or half baked hippie advice.  It was like seeing a doctor...who happened to have a large cabinet full of herbal treatments and who looked at the whole picture of my health.  We met for TWO hours.  She asked all kinds of questions about all aspects of my health.

My regular doctor had faxed her my blood work, so she already knew I was coming in with insulin resistance.   After filling out a quick medical survey we also determined that I have candidiasis (basically a systemic yeast infection...which, actually confirmed something I've thought for a while).  In order to treat these two issues, I was instructed to add in a candida cleansing supplement, an herb that lowers blood sugar, and a REALLY expensive diet shake (I might search for some cheaper alternatives once I finish this round).  Additionally, the doctor told me to follow the Eating Right 4 Your Blood Type diet.

Basically, this diet is designed for the chemistry of each blood type.  I am A+, so get to become a quasi-vegetarian. 

• All Meat is on my Avoid list, except chicken and turkey. 
• All Dairy is on my avoid list except a few soft cheeses, goat cheese, kefir and yogurt. 
• I can eat most Beans and Legumes.  Garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lima beans, and navy beans are restricted.
• Grain wise, I am limited to grains such as amaranth, buckwheat, kashsa, cornmeal, rice, oats, and sprouted grain bread like Ezekiel Bread. 
• I can eat almost all Vegetables, but on the short list of ones I am to avoid are eggplant,tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, olives, mushrooms, and cabbage. 
• My list of Fruit is decent.  I am not allowed to have bananas, mangoes, cantaloupe, or oranges. 
• I cannot eat ketchup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, jello, any kind of pepper (peppercorns, flakes, cayenne), capers, or any kind of vinegar.
• In the realm of Beverages I am allowed to have dozens of herbal teas, green tea, coffee and red and white wine.
• As an added restriction my doctor and I both agree that soy is not a good idea for me. 

For the next 30 days I am also following a candida cleanse diet.  That means, in addition to the restrictions of the A+ diet, I have to avoid all bread and cereal (I'm eating rice and quinoa), I am limited to 1 fruit a day, I cannot have any alcohol and I cannot have any sugar except stevia.

It's going to be a challenge, I'm not going to lie.  I can deal with the meat and grain restrictions...but seriously NO PEPPERS!!  That rules out almost all Mexican food, which is devastating for me. No tomatoes means I have to get really creative with any Italian food I make.  Frankly, I can look forward to a Mediterranean and Asian inspired diet.  

I want to feel better AND I want to avoid becoming diabetic (which is the next step after insulin resistance).  I'm committed to doing this.  The purpose of the diet is to calm down any inflammation in my body and to help me lose weight.  Insulin resistance and PCOS are both helped by weight loss.  I also think that once we clear up some of these health issues, my mental health picture will be a little brighter as both diseases can contribute to depression. 

SIDE NOTE: Candidiasis can also cause anxiety symptoms.