CFS Patients Find Success With The BRAT Diet
December 7, 2006 by laura
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Today is theme day at the b5 media Science and Health Channel. The theme being food. Rounding up our food related items is Ruth, who can be found at Eating Fabulous.
As most if not all of my fellow Chronic Fatigue sufferers will tell you, food can be particularly bothersome. Very necessary, but it seems like we (or at least myself) always have another food intolerance poppinig up. For instance right now, I can not tolerate any red meat, lettuce, or potatoes. And forget about milk (unless its lactaid), and right now I am also passing up any beverage with vodka in it. All of the above give me terrible head and stomachaches, not to mention milk still makes the bottoms of my feet peel. I know, too much information in a food post…sorry about that.
When I start feeling terrible, and I suspect that food is the cause. I go on the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. Some people substitute apples for applesauce. But my grandfather makes THE best applesauce in the world (without sugar), and so I am sticking with the sauce, as its way tastier than regular apples (and I am not allergic to it). Adhering to this incredibly strict diet is not easy, since you are only allowed those items. But after a few short days, your body recovers, and you can start introducing small amounts of regular food back into your diet. Make sure you start slowly, because the whole point of going on the BRAT diet is to clean out your system, so you can start over and figure out what exactly it is that you are ingesting that is making you ill. You should be able to notice any intolerances immediately. When they pop up, remove them from your diet. Its not forever, try again in a few months, and things will probably change again,,,and you can go back to eating your favorites once again.
When your stomach has settled down after a few days on the BRAT, and you are well on your way to finding the bad foods. You may want to think about making up a batch of magic soup. I swear there are healing properties in this soup. It is guaranteed to make me feel better, and I have no doubt that it can do the same for you. For a sort of recipe (ok actually a list of ingredients) go here.
The bottoms of your feet peel? Yikes. I wonder if food problems are part of my problem. How can I tell?
Jennie, peeling feet was one of my very first symptoms. When I first got sick someone close to my family asked my mum if my feet were peeling. They were. And thats due to milk. My doctor confirmed the same thing. Milk intolerance will cause peeling feet.
I love milk. On my cereal, in my coffee, by itself. I am a milk junkie, but it does bad things to me. Gives me terrible terrible headaches….blinding ones actually…and of course the foot thing (which gives me an excuse to have a professional pedicure every month).
Talk to your doc about whether your symptoms could be food related. Start a journal about what you eat, and how you feel…sometimes symptoms arise days later, so its a little confusing on how to figure out what triggers which symptoms. Nutritionists can help with this as well.
good luck figuring this out. its a wee bit difficult. But once you figure it all out, there are huge benefits!!!!!
What? No credit for your Mum on the Magic Soup Recipe.
ooops.
The magic soup credit should go to my mum. She invented it. If you actually click on the link, I think I actually do mention that it was her creation to begin with.
Sorry mum.
Where did you find this diet? It is truly bizarre! (not to mention expensive here, since the great Banana crop destruction of Cyclone Larry). Anyway, I have no idea what applesauce is (except I can guess, I suppose, that it’s like jam, but from apples), but it sounds very yummy!
Ellie, I couldnt think of a way to describe applesauce for you (it isnt jam), so here is the definition from wikipedia.
Applesauce (or apple sauce) is made from stewed and mashed apples, sweetened to taste with sugar. It can use peeled or unpeeled apples and a variety of spices or additives like cinnamon. Applesauce can be fine or coarse textured, even to including large chunks of apple. It is easily produced at home, and commercial versions are readily available in the supermarket as a common food or as a snack for children.
The diet is a really common elimination diet, first told to me, by my doctor. Its not one that you can live on long…just a few days. I wonder what you can substitute for bananas…..not sure, but if you can, i am sure you can find it on the internet. Everything is on there