Hi CChirs,

I am sorry to hear of your recent UTI's . Those are just painful and can be difficult to get rid of.

First off, I am not in anyway a Dietitian or an MD, so please take your questions about cleanses to your Dr-obviously your liver and kidneys are so vital that you want to discuss any home treatment with them first.

That said, cleanses make me a little weary...when I think of kidney and liver cleanses, I think that they work fast and release and remove a lot of toxins very quickly from the body. This sounds good, but for the Immune Compromised, a fast release of toxins may not be safe and may cause more harm than help. A slower approach may be better.

However, I am not an MD, so please discuss this with your Dr and let me know what s/he thinks.

As for diet, you may find it helpful to stay away from processed foods, which means cooking just about everything from scratch. Or if you are too tired for that, Toss everything in a blender and drink your dinner!
Water is your friend here...Us CVIDers tend to be on lots of meds, and water is one of the best ways to flush out our livers and kidneys...My Immuno recommends about 3 liters a day for me, based on my meds...you can ask your Dr about a good amount of water intake for you.

Finally, for the UTI, cranberry juice is known to help prevent and even out the pH balance in the Urinary Tract to help avoid future UTI's. It's best if you can find 100% no sugar added cranberry juice :)

I wish I could be of more help,
Take good care, and sending get well wishes,
LuLu

Thank you so much LuLu! As always, your advice is generous and wise!

I was wondering if many CVIDers switch to being vegetarian or if they havr found it really important to keep protein in their lives. Has the candida diet helped? Juicing? I am currently lactose and gluten free because it is better for me but if anyone has any links to books/ recipes that have helped them, I would love to know about them!

I guess I feel like maybe I could gain some sense of control if I really start a strong regimen up, but would like to know if others have tried one that works for them so I know where to start!

Yes, as soon as I am better I will try to consult with a doctor about it... But I am always curious to hear from those who may be further along in the journey!

All the best,
CChris

Hey CChris,

I think you will find a lot of different opinions on diet, based on what works for each individual. Meeting with a dietitian at some point might be really useful.

I am lactose intolerant, so I tend to use Coconut Milk when needed.
I am not a big into any particular diets- I just avoid processed foods, and aim for all the food groups in moderation.
I have a hard time digesting whole fruits and vegetables for some reason, so I tend to stick them in a blender and make smoothies out of them...but other than dairy, I don't really exclude any food group-just processed food.
So I use things like recently discovered pecan flour, weird smoothies ( kale, spinach, apple and Sweet potato), broiled chicken, if I want to sweeten something I use pure cane sugar or local honey. I toss some fresh ground flax into everything. I do sometimes supplement with Ensure if I am having GI issues, but those are pretty sweet so I cut them with water.
This is what works for me- I am sure there are things I could add or maybe even take away that might help me, but I seem to have found a delicate GI balance at the moment. I hope to see a Dietitian soon though- I would like to know some specific Immune strengthening foods, and foods that reduce inflammation.

Let us know what foods work for you!
LuLu

Hi Chris,
I'm not an M.D. or nutritionist either, so I agree that your Dr. has to be the one to ultimately give you advice. But, for me personally, I feel best when I'm eating a heart healthy diet that includes fish oil tablets. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I also eat fish. I try to incorporate inflammation fighting foods as well. I have Lupus, R.A. and CVID. Since patients like us with CVID tend to have an increased incidence of inflammatory diseases or autoimmune diseases, I think it makes since to include a lot of these foods in our diet. Although, my diet isn't perfect (I have a sweet tooth) but all we can do is our best.

I found an interesting article on this topic in "R.A. & You Rheumatoid Arthritis & You" magazine put out by the Arthritis Foundation. The title is, "The Ultimate Arthritis Diet." The article says and I quote that "Studies confirm that a diet low in processed foods and saturated fat with lots of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and beans lowers blood pressure and protects against chronic conditions like cancer & stroke. It also helps curb inflammation.."

Then it goes over the categories:
Fish - 3-4 oz. twice a week
Best Sources: Salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, scallops & other cold water fish.

Nuts & Seeds:
1.5 ounces (about a handful) daily
Best Sources: Walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios & almonds

Fruits & Veggies:
9 or more servings daily
Best Sources: (Aim for at least three each meal.) Blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, spinach, kale, broccoli & eggplant.

Olive Oil:
2-3 Tablespoons per day
Best Source: Extra Virgin olive oil.

Beans:
At least 1 cup, twice a week.
Best Sources: small red kidney, pinto, black, red & garbanzo beans or black-eyed peas.

And the article says if your unsure of how to incorporate these foods into your meno, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.

I hope this is helpful.

Warm Regards,
Julie

Wow, Julie! I appreciate this so much, thanks! This group can be such a valuable resource! I love it! I know so many of us have GI and absorption problems/ inflammation problems. It's hard to know what to stick with and what to avoid!

All the best,
CChris

Hi Chris,
Thanks for your response! I just wanted to clarify that the diet I referred to targets inflammation. To be honest, I don't have any GI absorption issues so can't really speak to that part.

Take care.
Julie