(no subject)
You guys are awesome.
I think I agree with all of you re: diet.
I'd already decided to start gradually in some way, but I don't currently have an attack plan for that, except for trying for more veg/less meat in meals, and having another go at soy (or maybe rice) milk to see if it's acceptable on cornflakes, since I've just opened a new box anyway.
The doctor talked about regular meetings to 'educate me', if I decide to follow this path. That sounds fine. I'll give it a go. I just can't see it happening quite as fast as he's suggesting. I agree that I need to learn some different stuff if I'm going to go in this direction - for starters, a 'default recipe' repertoire that I'll have to build up over time anyway, so that I can start cooking vegetarian stuff that is equally tasty to my carnivorous palate and thus not be bitter toward the diet idea. I have a multitude of cookbooks, although most of them aren't vegetarian-specific, so I can certainly hunt through them for inspiration.
I think the raw-foods thing can go jump for now. Ditto veganism... cutting out cheese would be tough.
I might work on processed foods, some meat and some dairy products, see how that goes..
Even then, some processed stuff is hard to live without (this doctor seemed to think even pasta should be home-made "If I'm serious about getting healthy", although the pasta I usually make has eggs in, and the pasta I usually buy is made with water...).
Flavour things in particular - soy sauce, stock cubes, sweet chili - those seem like the kinds of things that will make vego meals more interesting while I get used to them... so even with processed foods there'll have to be some exceptions to start with. I don't feel like I eat heaps of processed foods at the moment - I've always tried to avoid pre-mixed sachets, sauces and so on (except the ones I treat as 'base ingredients' like soy sauce).
In answer to hespa , the drugs are not causing me noticable side effects, but they cost around $10 a week, potentially are going to damage my retinas (Plaquenil) or liver function (Methotrexate), and I have to have a 6-monthly eye examination and monthly blood test to test for the side-effects I won't notice straight away. So they're not a hassle to take, and they're not superexpensive, and they don't make me miserable in other ways, but they're reasonably toxic, and at the moment I'm on them until the arthritis goes away by itself. They're treating symptoms rather than cause.
This particular doctor has some extreme ideas, but I already know my diet isn't as good as it could be, and working with a doctor, however crazy, is probably a good way to approach dietary change, if he's willing to support it gradually.
How does this sound for a step 1?
Reduce alcohol consumption.
Cook vego meals when it's my turn to cook (so, one in three meals).
Move onto an alternative milk for my cereal in the morning.
Use up any existing processed foods and not replace them.
I think I agree with all of you re: diet.
I'd already decided to start gradually in some way, but I don't currently have an attack plan for that, except for trying for more veg/less meat in meals, and having another go at soy (or maybe rice) milk to see if it's acceptable on cornflakes, since I've just opened a new box anyway.
The doctor talked about regular meetings to 'educate me', if I decide to follow this path. That sounds fine. I'll give it a go. I just can't see it happening quite as fast as he's suggesting. I agree that I need to learn some different stuff if I'm going to go in this direction - for starters, a 'default recipe' repertoire that I'll have to build up over time anyway, so that I can start cooking vegetarian stuff that is equally tasty to my carnivorous palate and thus not be bitter toward the diet idea. I have a multitude of cookbooks, although most of them aren't vegetarian-specific, so I can certainly hunt through them for inspiration.
I think the raw-foods thing can go jump for now. Ditto veganism... cutting out cheese would be tough.
I might work on processed foods, some meat and some dairy products, see how that goes..
Even then, some processed stuff is hard to live without (this doctor seemed to think even pasta should be home-made "If I'm serious about getting healthy", although the pasta I usually make has eggs in, and the pasta I usually buy is made with water...).
Flavour things in particular - soy sauce, stock cubes, sweet chili - those seem like the kinds of things that will make vego meals more interesting while I get used to them... so even with processed foods there'll have to be some exceptions to start with. I don't feel like I eat heaps of processed foods at the moment - I've always tried to avoid pre-mixed sachets, sauces and so on (except the ones I treat as 'base ingredients' like soy sauce).
In answer to hespa , the drugs are not causing me noticable side effects, but they cost around $10 a week, potentially are going to damage my retinas (Plaquenil) or liver function (Methotrexate), and I have to have a 6-monthly eye examination and monthly blood test to test for the side-effects I won't notice straight away. So they're not a hassle to take, and they're not superexpensive, and they don't make me miserable in other ways, but they're reasonably toxic, and at the moment I'm on them until the arthritis goes away by itself. They're treating symptoms rather than cause.
This particular doctor has some extreme ideas, but I already know my diet isn't as good as it could be, and working with a doctor, however crazy, is probably a good way to approach dietary change, if he's willing to support it gradually.
How does this sound for a step 1?
Reduce alcohol consumption.
Cook vego meals when it's my turn to cook (so, one in three meals).
Move onto an alternative milk for my cereal in the morning.
Use up any existing processed foods and not replace them.