Is There A Good Diet For Neuropathy

Today's post from the ever-reliable neuropathydr.com (see link below) looks at the best dietary options if you have neuropathy. While it doesn't explain the science behind the choices, it does seem to be based on a low gluten food base and as gluten is more and more associated with nerve problems, this may be logical. It also has to be said that this sort of diet is never easy to shop for and there may also be budgetary considerations to bear in mind, however, if we're aiming for the best possible dietary self-care then the ideas here may be useful to you when compiling your shopping lists.

Quick Guide to the Best Neuropathy Diet
Posted by Editor on July 20, 2015

This Guide Describes What to Eat Throughout the Day for a Healthy Diet!

You have no doubt heard that changes to your diet and lifestyle can have a tremendous impact on your health as far as neuropathy and chronic pain is concerned.

But what is a neuropathy diet? Exactly what you should be eating, and what should you avoid?

Here is a breakdown of a typical day’s worth of snacks and meals on the neuropathy diet to give you an idea of what kind of adjustments you should be making on your own.

Of course, you may need to modify this general outline for your own symptoms or pain level under the supervision of your NeuropathyDR Clinician.

First, be sure to have breakfast every morning. Ideally, eat a small amount of protein within a few minutes of waking up, which helps to jump-start your mental state as well as your metabolism.

You could have a protein shake made with vegetable protein powder (dairy-free) and coconut milk or almond milk. Or if you prefer not to drink your breakfast, try granola (gluten-free) or steel cut oats.

Next, you’ll want to have a small low-carb snack about three hours after breakfast. Half an apple or banana would do the trick or a small amount of nuts, such as almonds. Be careful when consuming packaged snacks, such as protein bars, as many of them contain a great deal of sugar.

For lunch, you’ll want more protein and veggies. The easiest way to do this is make a salad featuring your favorite kinds of greens—spinach is great. Add a small amount of chicken, tuna, turkey, or salmon for a lean protein, or use tofu if you’re vegan. Throw in a few walnuts or almonds and a drizzle of olive oil.

Have another snack in mid-afternoon, something small and low-carb like your morning snack.

For dinner, emphasize vegetables like asparagus, beets, squash, sweet potatoes, or cooked spinach. Avoid starchy veggies like white potatoes or rice. For a protein, try locally sourced hormone-free beef or fresh fish.

In the evening, have one more small snack. This time it can be a treat, such as one square of dark chocolate or a SMALL serving of gluten-free low-carb cookies.

You’ll also want to have lots of water throughout the day, and limited amounts of tea or coffee are okay.

You’ll notice that this diet is dairy-free, very low in sugar, and contains no bread products or junk food.

Try making a gradual shift into the NeuropathyDR diet over a period of a few days. You won’t believe how much better it makes you feel!

For more information on the neuropathy diet and other neuropathy basics, see our guide I Beat Neuropathy!

http://neuropathydr.com/best-neuropathy-diet/

Can A Gluten Free Diet Help With Your Neuropathy

Today's post from themodernlucy.blogspot.nl (see link below) is a personal account (with no link to HIV) by a woman with neuropathic problems. She found that adopting a gluten-free diet helped considerably. A gluten free diet is not easy and may not be for everyone but there are certainly considerable numbers of people who's condition has been improved by cutting out gluten. If going the whole hog is too difficult, then reducing your intake of meat and dairy foods may help anyway.

How Peripheral Neuropathy Has Changed My Life
Thursday, June 7, 2012

Since about 4 months after my surgery, I have had peripheral neuropathy off and on. It basically feels like tingling and numbness in all my extremities, numbness in my face, and tingling on my scalp. Most doctors that I saw shortly after my experience felt that it was all psychological, but as time went on, I felt better and better psychologically but still had this feeling. I also had severe digestive issues.

I was told the only way to stop my stomach pain was to have surgery again. And, I was told that nothing would stop the peripheral neuropathy but more and more drugs. I refused both courses.

Today I can say that a gluten-free diet has improved both of these issues. I have tested it now for about the 4th time, and every time I go off the gluten-free diet, my peripheral neuropathy and brain fog get worse, and by the 4th time, they become unmanageable (I could barely get through the day). When I maintain the diet, these issues become nonexistent. Also, on the diet, I have no stomach pain or digestive issues.

Why does gluten-free help? I have no idea. I could be a celiac, but there is really no way to know. I am not willing to eat gluten for long enough to have a biopsy to verify that diagnosis because I just feel so horrible when I eat it. I have always had stomach issues, so it is very possibly that I've always had an issue with gluten. It could be postmenopausal gluten intolerance which is also very common. I plan to take it up with my doctor on my yearly appointment.

The fact that I feel so much better without the gluten is really amazing. I never thought I could get here. I do believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe I needed to have that surgery to get to where I am today with my health.

Our whole family is trying to eat a more whole foods diet. I am working on a new meal plan. I posted earlier about how I had finished a meal plan. Well, that was before I realized how crucial being gluten-free is to my well being, and it was before we decided not to eat as much meat and dairy products. We are now trying out new recipes and working on a new meal plan. I will start posting recipes soon.

 http://themodernlucy.blogspot.nl/2012/06/how-peripheral-neuropathy-has-changed.html

Diet And Neuropathy Again!

Today's post from neverignore.info (see link below) sounds a little 'preachy' in tone and as it goes against most neuropathy patients' need for 'comfort foods' to give us a lift, it may not be well-received. However, preachy it may be but it's an area of our health we can actually exercise some control over. As the article suggests; keep a food diary for a short time (a short time is more than a week by the way!!) and alongside that, keep a diary of how you feel. If it seems that your symptoms are improving then you may be onto a winner. Worth a try? How bad's your pain!!

Neuropathy and Your Diet!
By Lussy January 23, 2016

”Why do I just feel so lousy all the time?”

This is something that unfortunately is becoming more rather than less common in our NeuropathyDR clinics.

You see, there is a tendency now for people not to prepare or consume fresh foods, especially vegetables. Too often, fast food works its way into our diets.

As for people with peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain, this is like pouring gasoline on fire!

The reason for this is that poor food choices raise blood fats and blood sugars. When blood sugar is increased, some of the sugar molecules tend to attach to proteins; proteins like those that help make up our muscles and skin.

This then leads to achiness, stiffness, and quite possibly inflammation. For the peripheral neuropathy sufferer, regardless of the cause this typically poor diet seems to make it worse.

Increased sugar consumption in addition to aggravating your underlying neuropathy, will cause you to gain weight, lose energy and sleep more poorly.

The good news is however when you make deliberate changes to when and how you are eating, you often times will find yourself feeling better than ever!

So, how do we do this without becoming overwhelmed?

The simplest way to do this is to keep a food diary or record for a week. Keep track of everything you consume. You may be shocked at how much sugar is in things like soda, ice cream, and other things that may have become a staple for your diet.

You, like most neuropathy patients probably know you should be eating better.

When neuropathy patients write all this down, changes are much easier for us to help you with.

Always remember, neuropathy is often times a manifestation, or made worse by poor metabolism, secondary to poor diet and lack of enough activity.

Improving both of these can often improve most forms of peripheral neuropathy!

http://neverignore.info/neuropathy-and-your-diet/

HIGH SUGAR DIET NO PROBLEM FOR GENETIC MUTANTS

Imagine being able to take a pill that lets you eat all of the ice cream, cookies, and cakes that you wanted -- without gaining any weight.

New research from USC suggests that dream may not be impossible. A team of scientists led by Sean Curran of the USC Davis School of Gerontology and the Keck School of Medicine of USC found a new way to suppress the obesity that accompanies a high-sugar diet, pinning it down to a key gene that pharmaceutical companies have already developed drugs to target.

So far, Curran's work has been solely on the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and human cells in a petri dish -- but the genetic pathway he studied is found in almost all animals from yeast to humans. Next, he plans to test his findings in mice.

Curran's research is outlined in a study that will be published on Oct. 6 by Nature Communications.

Building on previous work with C. elegans, Curran and his colleagues found that certain genetic mutants -- those with a hyperactive SKN-1 gene -- could be fed incredibly high-sugar diets without gaining any weight, while regular C. elegansballooned on the same diet.

"The high-sugar diet that the bacteria ate was the equivalent of a human eating the Western diet," Curran said, referring to the diet favored by the Western world, characterized by high-fat and high-sugar foods, like burgers, fries and soda.

The SKN-1 gene also exists in humans, where it is called Nrf2, suggesting that the findings might translate, he said. The Nrf2 protein, a "transcription factor" that binds to a specific sequence of DNA to control the ability of cells to detox or repair damage when exposed to chemically reactive oxygen (a common threat to cells' well being), has been well studied in mammals.

Pharmaceutical companies have already worked to develop small-molecule drugs that target Nrf2, in hopes that it will produce more anti-oxidants and slow aging.

Though the promise of a pill to help control your body's response to food is enticing, it is not without risk, Curran said. Increased Nrf2 function has been linked to aggressive cancers.

"Perhaps it is a matter of timing and location," Curran said. "If we can acutely activate Nrf2 in specific tissues when needed then maybe we can take advantage of its potential benefits."

Is Your Diet Directly Contributing To Your Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathydr.com (see link below) written by the ever-reliable Dr John Hayes Jr, looks at nutritional neuropathy; one of the more common causes of neuropathy, if you have ruled out most of  the causes from other illnesses. Basically it means that you are suffering nerve damage from a lack of specific nutrients in your system and that comes from dietary deficiencies. The article explains how nutritional neuropathy works and offers various means to address it. Worth a read if you're worried that your diet and life-style choices may be contributing to your nerve damage.

Combatting Nutritional Neuropathy – A Healthy Diet Is Your Best Weapon 
Posted by john on July 25, 2016

If you’ve been diagnosed with neuropathy as a result of[1]

• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Lupus
• Shingles
• Exposure to toxins
• Lyme Disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Repetitive stress injury

We don’t need to tell you how miserable the symptoms can be…

If you

• Take your medication…
• Take precautions to account for muscles weakness or loss of strength in your arms and legs…
• Do whatever your doctor tells you to do and your symptoms still aren’t improving.

In addition to the neuropathy caused by your illness, you could be suffering from nutritional neuropathy.

What Causes Nutritional Neuropathy?

One of the leading causes of nutritional neuropathy is vitamin deficiency, especially Vitamin B12. If you don’t eat meat, dairy products or even fish, you might not be getting the vitamins you would normally get from those foods.

If, in addition to your underlying illness, you also suffer from

• Anemia
• Gastritis
• Crohn’s disease
• Other chronic digestive problem

Your body is probably not getting the nutrition it needs from what you’re eating. That can lead to nutritional neuropathy.

Any condition you have that affects your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients and vitamins from your food can lead to nutritional neuropathy. And that just makes a bad situation worse if you already have some other type of neuropathy caused by one of the illnesses we just mentioned.

How Nutritional Neuropathy Affects Your Body

Even though the name implies that nutritional neuropathy is linked to your digestive system, it can affect much more than that.

Your body runs on what you feed it. If your body isn’t getting the nutrition it needs, the malnutrition begins to affect every system in your body. Eventually it affects the peripheral nervous system. The nerves are damaged and no longer function properly.

If your nutritional neuropathy affects your autonomic nervous system, it can lead to problems with blood pressure, an inability to control your bladder or bowels, or even sexual dysfunction.

If your nutritional neuropathy affects your sensory nerves, you can have problems with your sense of touch – not just possibly an inability to feel sensation but a heightened sense of sensation. Imagine the sheets on your bed feeling like sand paper against your skin.

If your nutritional neuropathy affects your motor nerves, you can lose the ability to control your muscles, you could lose your balance and the muscle cramps you experience from your neuropathy can be even worse.

Even if your neuropathy is being treated with physical therapy or even drug therapies, you still need a healthy diet to give your body what it needs to heal.

If you want to give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding nutritional neuropathy, you need the right diet.

Good Nutrition Can Be Your Secret Weapon

The very first thing you need to do is make sure you’re giving your body the right tools to fight back against nutritional neuropathy. That means a healthy diet and managing your digestive condition.

Talk to your doctor, preferably a NeuropathyDR® clinician, about all of your underlying medical conditions. Your diet will not only need to include the vitamins and minerals, but you also need to take into account any digestive problems you may be experiencing that will prevent your body from absorbing the good stuff you put into it.

A healthy diet should include[2]:

• Whole grains and legumes to provide B vitamins to promote nerve health. Whole grains promote the production of serotonin in the brain and will increase your feeling of well-being.
• Fish and eggs for additional vitamins B12 and B1.
• Green, leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, and other greens) for calcium and magnesium. Both of these nutrients are vital to healthy nerve endings and health nerve impulse transmission and, as an added bonus, they give your immune system a boost.
• Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (such as squash, carrots, yellow and orange bell peppers, apricots, oranges, etc.) for vitamins A and C to help repair your skin and boost your immune system.
• Sunflower seeds (unsalted), avocados, broccoli, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts (unsalted), tomatoes and tomato products, sweet potatoes and fish for vitamin E to promote skin health and ease the pain of nutritional neuropathy.
• Ask your neuropathy specialist for recommendations on a good multivitamin and mineral supplement to fill in any gaps in your nutrition plan.

Foods you should avoid:

• Coffee and other caffeinated drinks.
• Fried foods and all other fatty foods. Fatty foods suppress the immune system and that’s the last thing you need when you’re fighting nutritional neuropathy.
• Control the amount of animal protein you eat. High-protein foods elevate the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine which are both tied to high levels of anxiety and stress.
• Avoid drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption limits the ability of the liver to remove toxins from the body and can make a bad situation worse.

Talk to your local NeuropathyDR™ treatment specialist for a personalized diet plan to help you to help your body to heal with the right nutritional support for nutritional neuropathy and your digestive issues.

We hope this gives you some tips to get started on the road to putting nutritional neuropathy behind you. Working with your medical team, including your local NeuropathyDR™ specialist, to design a nutrition plan tailored to your specific needs is a great place to start.

For more information on recovering from nutritional neuropathy, get your Free E-Book and subscription to the Weekly Ezine “Beating Neuropathy” at http://neuropathydr.com.

[1] http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-peripheral-neuropathy-basics
[2] http://www.nutritionmd.org/health_care_providers/endocrinology/diabetes_complications_neuro.html

http://neuropathydr.com/nutritional-neuropathy/

Diet And Nutrition For Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathydr.com (see link below) is another short article looking at the importance of what you eat for neuropathy sufferers. A well-balanced diet will include all the vitamins you need for a healthy nervous system but it is possible that you have other conditions which have resulted in deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals (particularly the B vitamins, vitamins D and E). In that case, it may be worth supplementing even a good diet with store-bought vitamins or supplements. Take advice from your doctor or neurologist, or do your own research on the internet but first get your vitamin status established by means of a simple test your home doctor can do.

Neuropathic Nutrition and Diet
Posted by john on June 19, 2014

Get Started on a proper neuropathic nutrition and diet plan today!



One main factor in many cases of peripheral neuropathy is diet. You probably know that neuropathy is linked to diabetes and other conditions where daily intake of sugars and nutrients is important, but your diet can also influence the condition of nerves in more direct ways, such as in cases where a nutritional deficiency is causing neuropathic damage.

One of the most common links between neuropathy and nutrition is a deficiency in B vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12. Fight neuropathy by eating foods like meat, fish, and eggs that are all high in B vitamins. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, don’t worry! There are many kinds of fortified cereals that contain substantial amounts of B vitamins as well (in addition to supplements, which we’ll talk about in a moment).

The Mayo Clinic recommends a diet high in fruits and vegetables for people who suffer from neuropathy. Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients that have been shown to be effective treating neuropathy. Additionally, if you suffer from diabetes, fresh produce can mellow your blood sugar levels. If numbness or pain in your extremities is severe, keep pre-cut fruit and vegetables at the ready, so you don’t have to worry about the stress involved with preparing them! Just be careful of too much fruit sugars. This means a serving is 1/2 apple, banana, etc. Most non-starchy vegetables like greens and asparagus especially are great for most of us.

Foods that are high in Vitamin E are also good for a neuropathic diet, according to neurology.com. A deficiency of Vitamin E can happen in cases where malabsorption or malnutrition are taking place, such as the case with alcoholic neuropathy. Breakfast cereals, whole grains, vegetables and nuts are all excellent sources of vitamin E.

Lean proteins are also an important part of a healthy diet for people with neuropathy. Saturated fats and fried foods increase risk of diabetes and heart disease, in addition to aggravating nerve decay from lack of nutrients. A variety of foods—skinless white-meat poultry, legumes, tofu, fish, and low-fat yogurt—are good sources of lean protein. If you suffer from diabetes, lean proteins also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines are good for maintaining levels of Omega-3 acids, healthy fats the body needs but cannot produce on its own.

For specific types of neuropathy, research shows that specific antioxidants may help slow or even reverse nerve damage that has not existed for too long a time. For HIV sensory neuropathy, Acetyl-L-Carnitine has demonstrated good results, and Alpha lipoic acid is being studied for its effects on diabetic nerve damage. Consult your NeuropathyDR® specialist for the latest research before beginning any supplementation or treatment, even with antioxidants.

Use Tools Like Journaling and Blood Sugar Monitoring Every Day…

So what are the best ways to monitor what you are eating? The easiest way is to keep a food journal. Record everything you eat at meals, for snacks, and any vitamin supplements you might be taking. Your journal will help you and your NeuropathyDR® clinician determine if your diet could be a factor in your neuropathy symptoms! As a bonus, food journaling is a great way to be accountable for your overall nutrition, as well as to help avoid dietary-related conditions other than neuropathy. If you have a goal for weight loss, weight gain, or better overall energy, those are other areas in which keeping a food journal can help! Other ways to monitor what you eat include cooking at home as opposed to going out to restaurants, keeping a shopping list instead of deciding what groceries to buy at the store, and consulting a nutritionist or qualified NeuropathyDR® clinician about the best ways to meet your specific needs.

Dietary supplements can also help manage neuropathic symptoms and nerve degeneration. Supplementing B Vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12, can help regulate your nutrient levels and prevent neuropathy symptoms. Supplementing with fish oil can help replenish Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important if you suffer from type-II diabetes. Many other types of supplements can be beneficial if you suffer from neuropathy; consult your NeuropathyDR® clinician for specific recommendations.

Contact us if you have any questions about a proper neuropathic nutrition and diet plan. We can help you find the information you need and put you in touch with a NeuropathyDR® clinician who can help you with this and other neuropathy-related questions!

Join our conversation today on Facebook by clicking HERE!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies

http://www.foundationforpn.org/livingwithperipheralneuropathy/neuropathynutrition/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/82184-foods-fight-neuropathy/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/121841-nutrients-neuropathy/

http://neuropathydr.com/neuropathic-nutrition-diet/

FIGHTING PROSTATE CANCER WITH TOMATO RICH DIET

Men who eat over 10 portions a week of tomatoes have an 18 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, new research suggests

With 35,000 new cases every year in the UK, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide.

Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernised diet and lifestyle.

To assess if following dietary and lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of prostate cancer, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford looked at the diets and lifestyle of 1,806 men aged between 50 and 69 with prostate cancer and compared with 12,005 cancer-free men.

The NIHR-funded study, published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first study of its kind to develop a prostate cancer 'dietary index' which consists of dietary components -- selenium, calcium and foods rich in lycopene -- that have been linked to prostate cancer.

Men who had optimal intake of these three dietary components had a lower risk of prostate cancer.

Tomatoes and its products -- such as tomato juice and baked beans -- were shown to be most beneficial, with an 18 per cent reduction in risk found in men eating over 10 portions a week.

This is thought to be due to lycopene, an antioxidant which fights off toxins that can cause DNA and cell damage. Vanessa Er, from the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol and Bristol Nutrition BRU, led the research.

She said: "Our findings suggest that tomatoes may be important in prostate cancer prevention. However, further studies need to be conducted to confirm our findings, especially through human trials. Men should still eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, maintain a healthy weight and stay active."

The researchers also looked at the recommendations on physical activity, diet and body weight for cancer prevention published by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

Only the recommendation on plant foods -- high intake of fruits, vegetables and dietary fibre -- was found to be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. As these recommendations are not targeted at prostate cancer prevention, researchers concluded that adhering to these recommendations is not sufficient and that additional dietary recommendations should be developed.

DENTAL PLAQUE REVEALS KEY PLANT IN PREHISTORIC EASTER ISLAND DIET

A University of Otago, New Zealand, PhD student analysing dental calculus (hardened plaque) from ancient teeth is helping resolve the question of what plant foods Easter Islanders relied on before European contact.

Known to its Polynesian inhabitants as Rapa Nui, Easter Island is thought to have been colonized around the 13th Century and is famed for its mysterious large stone statues or moai.

Otago Anatomy PhD student Monica Tromp and Idaho State University's Dr John Dudgeon have just published new research clearing up their previous puzzling finding that suggested palm may have been a staple plant food for Rapa Nui's population over several centuries.

However, no other line of archaeological or ethnohistoric evidence supports palm having a dietary role on Easter Island; in fact evidence points to the palm becoming extinct soon after colonization.

Nevertheless, the researchers had found that the vast majority of phytoliths (plant microfossils) embedded within the calculus were from palm trees.

The teeth were from burials excavated in the early 1980s from multiple coastal archaeological sites around the island.

To clear up the mystery, the pair undertook further analysis, newly published in theJournal of Archaeological Science. This included identifying starch grains in the dental calculus removed from 30 teeth.

After removing and decalcifying the plaque from each tooth, Ms Tromp and Dr Dudgeon identified starch grains that were consistent with modern sweet potato. None of the recovered grains showed any similarities to banana, taro or yam, other starchy plants that are hypothesised to be part of the diet.

The researchers went on to test modern sweet potato skins grown in sediment similar to that of Rapa Nui's and found that as tubers grow, their skins seem to incorporate palm phytoliths from the soil.

"So this actually bolsters the case for sweet potato as a staple and important plant food source for the Islanders from the time the island was first colonised,"Ms Tromp says.

She and Dr Dudgeon are the first biological anthropologists to study dental calculus in the Pacific.

"It is an excellent target for looking at the plant component of ancient diets as microfossils become embedded in dental calculus throughout a person's life. You can get a good idea of some of the plant foods people were eating, which is not an easy task.

This research also shows that the plant foods you find evidence for in dental calculus can come from the environment that foods are grown in and not necessarily from the food itself -- this finding has the potential to impact dental calculus studies worldwide. "

Determining plants' role in ancient Oceanic diets is extremely difficult due to the scarcity of plant remains, but this research of microscopic plant remains is providing one more piece of the dietary puzzle.