Inflammation and LCHF

Bubba1922
Bubba1922 Posts: 67 Member
edited December 2024 in Social Groups
Some day I manage to restrict my carbs quite successfully (15 to 50 grms of carb). I can only doing this though by having a diet cola, a full pint of sugarfree jelly (Hartleys) and a packet of pork scarchings (Mr Porky) - I am quite aware that these are not healthy foods. Just worry that I am doing good by going low carb but still filling up on rubbish creating more harm than good to my body.

Replies

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited November 2016
    I think you know the answer to that...
    Why not eat more real food that you know is better?
    Perhaps approach it as if it's a detox... once you go without something you feel like you "need" but you think is actually an issue, the feelings of need tend to dissipate.
    Just have to decide to do it. And commit 100%

    Also, I don't understand if there was something about inflammation in there? I don't get that part
  • Bubba1922
    Bubba1922 Posts: 67 Member
    Some E Additives and artificial sugars (very present in European processed foods) have been proved to cause organs' inflammation - well if you believe various articles read in French and Swiss health journals.

    Of course I know that I should avoid processed foods but these foods are making it easy to reach my goal. I know I would cheat more frequently if I did not eat them.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    What are these foods satisfying for you? What other alternatives can you try?

    maybe tea/coffee/seltzer water instead of soda
    maybe low carb fruits instead of jelly
    maybe nuts or cheese crisps instead of pork scratchings - though, I'm not sure what would be in those that would be bad for you if it's just fried pork skin/fat
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    In my case LCHF has really worked well to manage my inflammation body wide.

    It now seems that heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc type health problems follow long term inflammation levels.

    After I got off of sugar and all grains I found I did not even need sugar (real or artificial).
  • 40DayFit
    40DayFit Posts: 246 Member
    Given how much better I feel now that inflammation has lifted for me, I'm decidedly committed to making the BEST keto choices I can make, every single day. I've been at 20g net carbs--NO grains, sugar, "sweet treats," "keto-friendly substitutes"--for 2 weeks. The inflammation was gone after 4-5 days. It's crazy, to think how I feel in my body can change so quickly, just from changing my food.

    I'm guessing it's about what kind of discomfort you're willing to accept. The familiar symptoms of inflammation, or the new experience of weaning off of the foods you suspect contribute to that inflammation.

    I suspect you could, in fact, go without the diet cola & pint of sugar-free jelly. How I got started was to give keto an earnest 3-day try. Only 3 days. Then, because I managed to win that success and learned how possible it really was to forego all the carbs, I gave it a 7 day try. I accomplished that. Now I'm on my 30-day try--just two more weeks!
  • 40DayFit
    40DayFit Posts: 246 Member
    I saw that you have your food diary open, @Bubba1922--I do as well, because I like the community it builds. It looks like your current MFP setup is for general eating, not necessarily a keto profile. I wonder if having your carb limit staring at you could help you remember your larger objectives? I also see that you have a very low calorie limit, and that it might be hard for you to get your micronutrient needs met. What if the symptoms you're experiencing are due to the limited overall nutrition you're getting?

    Or perhaps you're having a reaction to the sugar in the regular Cadbury's treats? A small sugar-free Jello here or there might be okay, hey, we're all human. Unless you already know your body doesn't care for the artificial sweeteners used in those kinds of ready-made products. Then you might experiment making your own small sweet tastes with other sweeteners like stevia.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Bubba1922 wrote: »
    Some E Additives and artificial sugars (very present in European processed foods) have been proved to cause organs' inflammation - well if you believe various articles read in French and Swiss health journals.

    Of course I know that I should avoid processed foods but these foods are making it easy to reach my goal. I know I would cheat more frequently if I did not eat them.

    Oh. I see what you're saying.
    Well, honestly, you sound like you're a bit addicted to sweet. My personal opinion on anything addiction is 100% avoidance rather than baby stepping down or trying to use alternatives that come with their own problems.
    As someone that was hard core addicted to sugar prior to keto, and was still addicted to sweet with my use of low carb sweet foods and diet soda for quite a few months into my journey, I never felt that "need" subside until I cold turkey stopped eating that stuff and stopped sweetening my coffee with coffee syrups and stopped drinking diet soda.
    After a few weeks, I allowed myself to have non sweetened dark chocolate (86%) the real kind, not that "sugar free" artificially sweetened candy bars that taste like milk chocolate. I watched for it trigger cravings or feelings that I "needed" it.
    I did fine with that. Then I allowed use of liquid stevia and liquid erythritol only, since I had heard others saying they didn't get sugar cravings from them. I would sweeten my afternoon coffee or tea. I watched for the cravings and "need" again. I didn't have any trouble. So now, I've discovered that it seems to be only the artificial sweeteners that trigger that for me. Stevia and erythritol aren't artificial. And I only sweeten things enough to taste good. Not to be a dessert. It also helped to make me more sensitive to the taste so that I didn't need much.
    A few weeks ago I had a Diet Coke and I felt bloated and aweful and had 4 pounds of inflammation by the next morning that took a few days to go away. I have never had any problems at all with liquid stevia or liquid erythritol. The powdered versions are not the same. I avoid those.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    what do you mean by "4 pounds of inflammation"? I must confess, I have a hard time understanding the inflammation trope.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    what do you mean by "4 pounds of inflammation"? I must confess, I have a hard time understanding the inflammation trope.

    It means I felt bloated and swollen and I had pain and a 4 pound jump on the scale in just a few hours.
    When you're injured, the body swells, pulls water to the area... that's inflammation. Water has weight. Therefore inflammation comes with scale weight gain.
  • 40DayFit
    40DayFit Posts: 246 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    what do you mean by "4 pounds of inflammation"? I must confess, I have a hard time understanding the inflammation trope.

    What do you mean by "inflammation trope?"
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    40DayFit wrote: »
    lodro wrote: »
    what do you mean by "4 pounds of inflammation"? I must confess, I have a hard time understanding the inflammation trope.

    What do you mean by "inflammation trope?"

    'Trope' just means a figure of speech - referring to "4 lbs of inflammation" :)
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