Diet with Lyme disease is one of the elements of treating the disease. Lyme disease menu is quite restrictive. All because Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics, which can have many side effects, including fungal infections. Therefore, in the course of treatment of Lyme disease, an antifungal diet is necessary. Check what are the rules of the Lyme diet.
Lyme dietis one of the elements in the treatment of Lyme disease. The menu in the Lyme diet is quite restrictive. Long-term antibiotic therapy, which is used in treatment, has many side effects, which are sometimes more of a problem than Lyme disease itself.
Chronic antibiotic therapy conducted in patients with Lyme disease very often causes the development of mycoses. To avoid complications related to treatment, other therapeutic methods can also be used - anti-fungal diet, vitamin supplementation and herbalism.
Contents:
- Lyme diet rules
- Products recommended in the Lyme diet
- Products contraindicated in Lyme disease
- Vitamin supplementation
- Herbs in the fight against Lyme disease
Lyme diet rules
- Simple sugars and starch are the natural breeding ground for yeasts. Too much of these sugars in the large intestine allows the fungi to grow excessively. Therefore, in the first stage of the Lyme diet, a low-carbohydrate diet is recommended: restrictive elimination of sugar and products containing simple sugars, products with a high glycemic index and highly processed cereal products from the daily diet.
- You should eat high-quality protein products, both of animal and vegetable origin. Protein products should be eaten with cooked or raw vegetables, e.g. in the form of salads.
- In addition to vegetables, vegetable juices, wholemeal breads, and other whole grains should be included in your diet.
- It is worth considering the use of appropriate dietary supplements, including probiotics, vitamins, minerals and preparations that increase the body's resistance.
- Herbs can also help in the treatment of Lyme disease.
Products recommended in the Lyme diet
Carbohydrate (starch) products allowedin small amounts in the first stage of the antifungal diet, for example :
- wholemeal bread, rye, oat, gluten-free, preferably home-baked
- groats (buckwheat, barley, other)
- brown or wild rice
Besides, you can consume:
- fish and seafood
- poultry meat, beef, veal, lean pork, rabbit meat, lamb
- eggs
- vegetables with low starch content, e.g. cruciferous vegetables - all types of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, plus lettuce, spinach, radishes, celery, root and parsley, asparagus, zucchini, as well as onion, garlic, leek
- sour fruit - apples, grapefruit, kiwi
Milk and milk products can be consumed several hours before or after taking the medicine. These products contain a lot of calcium, which makes it difficult to absorb some antibiotics (especially tetracyclines).
The problem is that grapefruit and citrus fruits, apart from being rich in vitamins, also contain compounds that hinder the absorption of the antibiotic from the gastrointestinal tract, reducing its concentration in the blood. That's why you shouldn't take your medications with citrus juices (water is the best).
Remember that most antibiotics are taken one hour before or two hours after eating. Some people argue that grapefruit should not be eaten for 4 hours before and after taking the drug. During the treatment, do not take preparations containing grapefruit (orange) extract.
- grains,e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, linseed
- drinks - water (still), tea (preferably herbal or low-brewed black), single-ingredient fruit teas, natural juices squeezed from vegetables or sour fruit
In the next stage of the Lyme diet, you should include specialist preparations containing strains of probiotic bacteria. Probiotics, e.g. from the Lactobacillus family, have a positive effect on the immune system, and some of them slow down the growth of yeasts. The meals should also be accompanied by:
- raw fermented vegetables (e.g. cabbage, cucumbers, etc.)
- fermented drinks, e.g. kefir, yoghurt. Fermented milk products that, in addition to lactic acid bacteria, contain probiotics, as well as special drinks made as a result of fermentation processes with the participation of only probiotic bacteria. They are effective if you eat them regularly, preferably every day.
- other natural fermented drinks, e.g. beet acid
What do you need to know about Lyme disease?
Products contraindicated in Lyme disease
- sugar in all its forms, i.e. honey, jam, juices, chocolate, candies, cakes, pies, sweet bread, yeast rolls and cakes, juices and carbonated drinks with sugar, puddings, etc.
- unfermented milk and dairy products (some people should not consume dairy products at all): cream, cheese, milk drinks, e.g. buttermilk
- white flour products - white bread, toast, pasta, pancakes, some cold cuts, dumplings, also mixed flour bread, powdered soups
- vinegar and any products containing vinegar (pickled vegetables, olives, etc.)
- yeast and any other yeast-containing products
- white rice
- alcohol
- sweet fruit - bananas, grapes, oranges, tangerines, peaches, apricots, plums, pears, dried fruit, compotes
- vegetables containing significant amounts of starch: potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes, boiled carrots, boiled beets
- blue cheeses
- yellow cheeses
- coffee, grain coffee, black tea
Vitamin supplementation
Vitamin supplementation is also a very important element in the treatment of Lyme disease. With long-term therapy, the body should be provided with more vitamins in the form of supplements, as antibiotics may inhibit the absorption of vitamins from food. It is mainly important to provide the body with vitamins D, A, E, C and B12.
Other substances required in the adjuvant treatment of Lyme disease are: coenzyme Q10 (its deficiency increases the susceptibility to infection), magnesium (minimizes tremors, muscle cramps and muscle pain present in Lyme disease), essential unsaturated fatty acids (EFAs) (reduces the symptoms of fatigue , weakness, pain, dizziness; they are contained in vegetable oils and fish oil).
Herbs in the fight against Lyme disease
Another method of complementary treatment of Lyme disease and confection is phytotherapy, i.e. treatment with herbs.
Consult your he althcare professional before consuming any herbs during antibiotic treatment.
In complementary treatment, herbal treatments from plants should be used to strengthen the immune system and thus increase the body's resistance to infections. In the first phase of infection, it is recommended to use Echinacea for 3 weeks, which has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and strengthening properties on the immune system.
Oregano oil - has antifungal properties, strengthens the immune system. It is also worth reaching for garlic preparations - the allicin contained in garlic blocks the access of glucose to the cells of the fungus, which prevents its growth and development.
They are effectivealso herbal infusions detoxifying the body and removing toxins, e.g. infusion of nettle, yarrow, field horsetail or birch leaves.
Other herbs that can help in the treatment of Lyme disease are Japanese knotweed, cat's claw, andrographis, ginseng, thorns, and astragalus membranes.
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Author: Time S.A
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Source:
1. Grzechowiak A. "Diet in the fight against candidiasis", Naturotherapy in practice, 1 (01) 2017
2. Godek A., Modern methods of treating Lyme disease with co-infection (antibiotics, nutrition), "Medycyna Rodzinna" 2013, No. 3