Mediterranean diet

Its_Haleeyyy
Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
edited November 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I recently had an ultrasound done and was diagnosed with fatty liver. My doctor wants me to go on a Mediterranean diet and come back for a check up in 3 months. I'm super picky and literally do not like anything in the diet except for fruit and nuts .

Has anyone else encountered this problem? If so, how did you make it work?

I'd really like to try and reverse this issue but I'm really struggling
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Replies

  • Its_Haleeyyy
    Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If you dislike virtually everything in the diet, it's not going to be a good fit for you. Is it possible for you to get a referral to an RD from your doctor? An RD is going to be able to help you figure out how you can eat the foods you enjoy in a way that supports your health.

    I haven't asked, but definitely something I could look into. I wanna try and completely cut out fast food and processed food and start exercise regularly again and see if the helps. And cutting down the Alcohol to special occasions only
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    What specifically don't you like about the Med diet?
  • Its_Haleeyyy
    Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    What specifically don't you like about the Med diet?

    I don't like anh fish or seafood, vegetables, or eggs which are big things in that diet
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    What specifically don't you like about the Med diet?

    I don't like anh fish or seafood, vegetables, or eggs which are big things in that diet

    Do you like low fat dairy? Yogurt, skim milk, greek yogurt, curd cheese, cottage cheese...?

    Do you like chicken? or other lean meats?

    Do you like any vegetables? (eat more of those you like)

    Whole wheat pasta? Lentils? Chickpeas?


    The main lessons I learned from my fatty liver diagnosis was:
    1. lose weight at a healthy pace (I never exceeded 500kcal deficit / day while losing 30kg)
    2. Limit high fat (saturated fat in particular), high fructose (eg. products with high fructose corn sirup) and alcohol. (the latter two as it's the liver that has to process them before they can be used further in the body)
    3. lose weight at a healthy pace (no crash dieting)
    4. Get enough protein and healthy fats (vegetable sources of fats such as olive oil)
    5. lose weight at a healthy pace (don't do a water fast or other such silliness)
    6. The rest, eat what you like in quantities adapted to your body size.

    I'm still overweight / borderline obese. I still have nearly 20kg to lose. But my blood panels all came back in the green these past 2 years. I've been maintaining my weight for 6 months (diet break) and will slowly start cutting again to lose the next 5kg when I feel I'm mentally in the right space.

    Do try to get an appointment with an RD. He/She will guide you through how to specifically adapt your way of eating to your health requirements.
  • Its_Haleeyyy
    Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
    ladyreva78 wrote: »
    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    What specifically don't you like about the Med diet?

    I don't like anh fish or seafood, vegetables, or eggs which are big things in that diet

    Do you like low fat dairy? Yogurt, skim milk, greek yogurt, curd cheese, cottage cheese...?

    Do you like chicken? or other lean meats?

    Do you like any vegetables? (eat more of those you like)

    Whole wheat pasta? Lentils? Chickpeas?

    I do like low fat dairy and chicken. I've never tried whole wheat pasta or lentils but I still have yet to find a vegetable I like
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    edited November 2018
    Veggies will be the challenge then. That will be an issue for any diet. Do you like Tomato Sauce? If we can find a vegetable baseline you can eat, we can grow from there.

    Other options is "hiding" vegetables in dishes. You can mince up veggies and put them in meatloaf. Honestly, I'm not a button mushroom fan, but chopped real fine and added to ground beef I don't even notice them.

    ### OK, beef wasn't the best example, but ground Turkey or Chicken with portabella would add a meatier flavor.
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    Been thinking (a dangerous occupation for me...) Other lean meat alternatives for the "beef" lover include Bison and Ostrich. Venison can be gamey, but also an excellent lean red meat choice.
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    I would like to add I was diagnosed years ago with Fatty Liver and was able to mitigate it with a healthy diet. Main things I did was remove as much refined sugar and fatty foods as I could. Yes, I still had weight issues due to CICO, but the fatty liver was taken care of.

    Definitely would like to help with finding veggies you can eat and enjoy.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    rsclause wrote: »
    Not sure if it would improve your food choices but I would think a Low Carb/ High Fat diet would also work. Vegetables are not required, all meats are okay. The downside is you will need to limit carbs to a minimal amount so you would likely need to part with breads, pasta, sweets and any other carb loaded stuff. I like veggies and eggs so I don't find it very limiting. There is also an optional way to reduce liver fat by fasting too.

    My understanding is that a high fat diet is contraindicated for people with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Do you have sources recommending a LCHF diet for people with this condition? OP has been recommended a specific eating plan, one that is associated with improved outcomes for her condition. You're suggesting a diet that is very different than that. What is this recommendation based on?

    https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/010614p48.shtml

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027841/

    https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/8/2/253/4558055

    Yeah, this is true. There used to be a poster here who had it and talked about the diet that she was prescribed that helped her -- it was NASH. Basically low fat + low sugar.

    Googling, looks like these are the principles:

    no alcohol
    cut way down on or eliminate saturated fat and red meat
    switch to skim dairy products
    eliminate trans-fat and hydrogenated oils
    eliminate high fructose corn syrup
    limit sodium to 1,500 mg
    cut way down on or eliminate added sugar
    cut way down on or eliminate processed grains, such as white flour
    be very careful about how supplements or medications affect the liver (I'd assume this includes such things as Tylenol)

    Seeing this -- which is for the most serious form of the condition -- I can see why the doctor might mention the Med diet, in that it's focused on whole, less processed foods and non red meat sources of protein, but it's not necessarily the best fit as it can be high fat.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    What specifically don't you like about the Med diet?

    I don't like anh fish or seafood, vegetables, or eggs which are big things in that diet

    Hmm. It looks like the point is to get in protein from sources other than red meat. Are there non red meat sources of protein you enjoy? Seems like chicken or turkey breast would be okay. Beans and lentils, if you like them.

    Vegetables are really just important in any healthy diet. It seems like it might be a good idea to start working on broadening your palate. Can you try new vegetables and different ways to cook them? Roasting is often a choice that works for people who aren't that into them.

    Great that you like fruit.

    What about whole grains (there's a huge variety) or beans and lentils, as noted above? Potatoes and sweet potatoes? Winter squash like pumpkin and butternut?
  • Its_Haleeyyy
    Its_Haleeyyy Posts: 39 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Another vote for getting an immediate referral to an RD. Doctors usually give a recommendation for a generic diet plan and a handout if you're lucky, but since you're particularly picky about your food choices an RD can help tailor a more specific plan to your individual needs.

    A good RD may also have some recommendations about how to expand your food choices by suggesting ideas with different preparation methods or recipes that might be more appealing to you.

    Yeah I'm thinking in gonna look into it, that seems to be a common suggestion on this thread so far and I think it would definitely be helpful for me. Even before talking to my doctor I've always been a super picky water which definitely contributed to my weight gain and health issues
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
    OP, I have two ideas that might be worth trying, about all the foods that you DON'T like.
    1. everything that you currently do NOT like to eat - make a conscious decision to try one bite of each of them every six to twelve months, just to see if it is a matter of becoming accustomed to an unfamiliar flavor. some stuff you may never ever develop a liking for, but you might be surprised at some of the results. (i'll probably never purchase eggplant for myself but I can tolerate it now and don't have to pick it out of a dish).
    2. experiment with different cooking methods or sauces/herbs/spices = especially vegetables can be really unpleasant when overcooked. But veggies done right are some of the most satisfying foods on the planet (for me anyhow!).
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    OP, I have two ideas that might be worth trying, about all the foods that you DON'T like.
    1. everything that you currently do NOT like to eat - make a conscious decision to try one bite of each of them every six to twelve months, just to see if it is a matter of becoming accustomed to an unfamiliar flavor. some stuff you may never ever develop a liking for, but you might be surprised at some of the results. (i'll probably never purchase eggplant for myself but I can tolerate it now and don't have to pick it out of a dish).
    2. experiment with different cooking methods or sauces/herbs/spices = especially vegetables can be really unpleasant when overcooked. But veggies done right are some of the most satisfying foods on the planet (for me anyhow!).

    This is a great idea. I never really liked fresh veggies when they were boiled or steamed to death. When I started roasting them with olive oil it changed the taste completely. I probably have asparagus or brussel sprouts twice a week now and both were strictly prohibited in the past. It is also possible I grew up too along with my taste buds.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Another vote for getting an immediate referral to an RD. Doctors usually give a recommendation for a generic diet plan and a handout if you're lucky, but since you're particularly picky about your food choices an RD can help tailor a more specific plan to your individual needs.

    A good RD may also have some recommendations about how to expand your food choices by suggesting ideas with different preparation methods or recipes that might be more appealing to you.

    Yeah I'm thinking in gonna look into it, that seems to be a common suggestion on this thread so far and I think it would definitely be helpful for me. Even before talking to my doctor I've always been a super picky water which definitely contributed to my weight gain and health issues

    Seems like a good plan. Good luck!
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    edited November 2018
    Its_Haleeyyy wrote: »
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Another vote for getting an immediate referral to an RD. Doctors usually give a recommendation for a generic diet plan and a handout if you're lucky, but since you're particularly picky about your food choices an RD can help tailor a more specific plan to your individual needs.

    A good RD may also have some recommendations about how to expand your food choices by suggesting ideas with different preparation methods or recipes that might be more appealing to you.

    Yeah I'm thinking in gonna look into it, that seems to be a common suggestion on this thread so far and I think it would definitely be helpful for me. Even before talking to my doctor I've always been a super picky water which definitely contributed to my weight gain and health issues

    Definitely would take that suggestion. Still, you will more than likely need to find ways to incorporate vegetables into your diet. With that I could still possibly help. Find a dish that you like and hide veggies in it. You'd be surprised how good some of it would be.
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