My solution for a healthy diet

My solution for a healthy diet

vegetablesDoctors advise PBC patients to eat healthy and watch their weight.  But with so many diets, how do you decide which healthy diet is right for you?

I was looking for a good, easy, sensible diet and the more information I found, the more confused I became.

Some diets tell you to only eat organic and cut out all: gluten, dairy, beef, pork, carbs, night shades, genetically modified stuff, trans fat, and cooked olive oil. Other diets advise us to avoid grains, legumes, eggs, dairy, seeds, nuts and instead eat meats, offal, broth, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats and dairy free fermented foods. Yet others recommend a low copper diet – avoid all soy products, grains, legumes, offal, nuts, mushrooms and chocolate (now they’ve gone too far).

Nutritionists have sounded the alarm on sugar and salt – now we must read the labels on everything we eat. I was shocked at the “invisible” sugar and salt quantities I consume daily. Don’t even think about going through the DRIVE THRU!

I found a solution that worked for me. I kept a food diary for two weeks – no dieting, just tracking. Once I knew what I was eating, I could make healthy changes. I found a great online tool fitnesspal that let me record all the food I eat and it does all the daily calculations. The tool breaks down what I am eating compared to recommended daily allowances, which can be modified, but I would advise working with a nutritionist who is familiar with PBC before adjusting daily allowances.

By Gail Wright