OAT, PLEASE INTERPET

[Gondwanaland]

I love sunflower seeds especially sprinkled over a salad.

I do that too, and add pumpkin seeds as well (which are low ox and a 5-a-reductase blocker).

 

[alicec]

I didn't know seafood and eggs contains lectins

Note the article says

Some experts hypothesize that it’s no coincidence the top 8 allergens also contain some of the highest amounts of lectins (including: dairy, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish).

It is a hypothesis that lectins in these foods cause problems. I would add who are these experts? Are they the same people who advocate the blood type diet, which is nonsense?

If you have problems with these foods by all means restrict them but don't do so on the basis of a dubious hypothesis.

Ditto with lectins in general.

I wonder about yellow squash

All kinds of squash are fine.

 

[Jimbo39]

Here is an article giving a good summary, mainly food based (other good articles on the site).

I'm beginning to think that the diet I thought was healthy is woefully inadequate. It was good to read that rice and asparagus are good prebiotics but I'm not getting near enough. Pistachios are good . Maybe I'll add boiled and cooled potatoes. Why cooled? I have zero fermented foods in my diet. Good to know about coconut yogurt. Sounds yummy.

Here is a listing of a good range of concentrated sources. This website has some interesting articles and useful info also though does have a tendency to claim opinion as fact and of course is selling stuff. Still I think her idea, of taking smallish amounts (say 1 tsp) of a variety of rich fibre sources, rather than a large amount of a single one, is a good one.

There's no way I could afford those supplements. If someone could put a little of each in a capsule he'd probably make a fortune.

Some time back I followed the Resistant Starch thread (warning it is very long). This started out promoting resistant starch, in the form of raw potato starch, as a valuable tool in improving gut health. It morphed into a discussion of many different prebiotics, and probiotics and various other aspects of the gut microbiota.

Yes, I started reading this thread but got bogged down. What was the consensus? Did people find raw potato starch helpful?

 

[alicec]

Maybe I'll add boiled and cooled potatoes. Why cooled?

Cooking and cooling causes a portion of the starch in things like potatoes and rice to change structure so that it becomes resistant to digestion by us. This is called retrograde starch and is classified as RS3 (RS1 is the resistant starch bound up in plant cell walls, RS2 is in raw potatoes, green bananas, plantains etc, RS4 is a laboratory creation using enzymes).

The resistant starch is food for our gut bacteria.

Note reheating with moisture can cause the RS3 to revert to regular starch. Quick heating in fat doesn't do this - ie like fried rice.

I make a batch of potato and bean salad and eat a smallish serve most days. Also I cook a batch of rice and keep in fridge. Sometimes I stir fry it before eating but often I am too lazy and just put it cold onto the plate and mix it with hot food in my mouth. I figure that the RS3 doesn't have time to revert before it hits my gut.

There's no way I could afford those supplements

Look at iherb. I quoted the gut goddess site because it had a good collection to give an idea of what to look for. I usually buy from iherb and have found several which are relatively cheap - acacia gum, psyllium powder, inulin/FOS, baobab powder, glucomannan, raw potato starch are all cheap and a bottle will last a long time (just a few off the top of my head).

I seek out apple pectin because it feeds Faecalibacterium pruznitzii which I am very short of. It is a little more expensive (though still pretty cheap) but it is so gunky that I use only small amounts.

I also like the aloe vera very much and buy a local product. It is a little more expensive but a bottle lasts a long time.

Compared with most supplements, fibres can be very cheap.

What was the consensus? Did people find raw potato starch helpful?

Some people did find large single doses of potato starch helpful but I think the consensus was that relatively small amounts of a variety of fibres was a better way to go (along with food sources of course).

 

[Gondwanaland]

I also like the aloe vera very much and buy a local product.

Alice, could you please expand a little on that? I always though aloe was hi ox. Is it safe to take a leaf and eat small amounts of the gel inside it?

 

[Chocolove]

@Jimbo39 Also for your bucket list...
www.medicaldaily.com/watermelon-juice-natures-viagra-may-act-natural-erectile-dys...Apr 29, 2014 - According to a study published in the journal Urology, citrulline — an amino acid found in high concentrations of watermelon — is found to improve blood flow to the penis without the side effects of Viagra.

 

[alicec]

I always though aloe was hi ox. Is it safe to take a leaf and eat small amounts of the gel inside it?

According to the tables from Susan Owens Yahoo group, the freeze dried product from Healthy Life Harvest (a product promoted to treat interstitial cystitis and hence of interest to the related Vulvar Pain Foundation) is very low. A serving of 2.4 g (3 capsules) contains less than 2 mg oxalate.

There is also a listing for aloe vera juice (not sure what this product actually is) which lists 2 mg oxalate/cup.

It's a bit difficult to translate this info to other products. The info about the capsules is vague, certainly the product from the inner leaf is processed, but it is not clear how concentrated it might be.

I think aloe vera juice is equivalent to inner leaf gel though it is not entirely clear if further processing/dilution is involved.

I can't see that eating small amounts of the fresh gel would be a problem.

The product I am using is concentrated so probably is higher oxalate than the capsules, but I have no idea by how much.

I started with very small amounts so wasn't worried about oxalates. However I am up to reasonable doses (2tsp) so maybe oxalates could be an issue. Thanks for reminding me - had forgotten about it.

I have regular flare ups of gastritis and find the aloe vera very soothing on my sore stomach (also DGL which is also low ox). Many other gut soothers such as slippery elm are extremely high, so I was very pleased to find the aloe vera and doubly so when I understood about its prebiotic properties.

You have reminded me though that I shouldn't get too enthusiastic about the concentrate - maybe oxalates could be an issue. I thought I had largely put oxalates behind me but I tried increasing biotin yesterday (used to take high doses but have cut back) and had what I am fairly sure was an oxalate dump this morning. Mind you I have slackened many dietary restrictions so it may not be the aloe vera.

 

[Gondwanaland]

I thought I had largely put oxalates behind me

Sometimes I think I have too, but it is just too easy to slip back...

I tried increasing biotin yesterday (used to take high doses but have cut back) and had what I am fairly sure was an oxalate dump this morning

Biotin increases the need for B6 for sure.

 

[Jimbo39]

Cooking and cooling causes a portion of the starch in things like potatoes and rice to change structure so that it becomes resistant to digestion by us.

When you mean cool, do you mean refrigerated cold or will eating them at room temp be good enough?

I make a batch of potato and bean salad and eat a smallish serve most days.

Potato salad was the first thing I thought of. I can't picture myself eating cold, plain potatoes tho I would if it meant getting my health back.

 

[Jimbo39]

I think aloe vera juice is equivalent to inner leaf gel though it is not entirely clear if further processing/dilution is involved.

I drink 2 Dixie cup portions of Sunflower aloe gel every day. I have to chugg it because it's like swallowing a cup of snot. Sorry, bad picture. It does have xanthan gum which is a prebiotic, I think.

have regular flare ups of gastritis and find the aloe vera very soothing on my sore stomach (also DGL which is also low ox). Many other gut soothers such as slippery elm are extremely high, so I was very pleased to find the aloe vera and doubly so when I understood about its prebiotic properties.

This is why I started taking it. I used to take DGL but read somewhere that it's bad for you, Dr Amy? I need to bookmark these things because, like you said, a lot of these so called scientific statements are just conjecture.

 

[Jimbo39]

I thought I had largely put oxalates behind me but I tried increasing biotin yesterday (used to take high doses but have cut back) and had what I am fairly sure was an oxalate dump this morning.

How do you know if you're oxalate dumping? I'm amazed at how people here can notice a deficiency or an excess of something.

 

[Jimbo39]

Biotin increases the need for B6 for sure.

This is something that totally baffles me, this balancing and counterbalancing of B vitamins.

 

[Jimbo39]

list...
www.medicaldaily.com/watermelon-juice-natures-viagra-may-act-natural-erectile-dys...Apr 29, 2014 - According to a study published in the journal Urology, citrulline — an amino acid found in high concentrations of watermelon — is found to improve blood flow to the penis without the side effects of Viagra.

And...its watermelon season. Seriously, I've been really enjoying the melons (cantaloupe, honey dew, musk) this summer. I get mine from an organic farm 20 minutes away. Vine ripened! Can't beat it.

 

[alicec]

How do you know if you're oxalate dumping

Dumping can occur via bowel, kidneys, skin or lungs. Depending on the site, different symptoms, but usually some sort of irritation, pain, characteristic grainy stool or cloudy urine. I go into more detail in the summary I uploaded but in general you will know about it when it happens. It can be very unpleasant.

I almost always dump with the bowel, often cramping and abdominal pain, loose grainy stool. This morning though it was via the kidneys - strong smelling urine and a lot of bladder irritation which thankfully settled through the day. It took a while for the penny to drop that it was likely the increased biotin which did it, which means I reduced biotin prematurely and I haven't gotten rid of all my oxalate stores yet! Maybe I have gone too far with dietary expansion.

 

[alicec]

or will eating them at room temp be good enough?

Should be fine.

it's like swallowing a cup of snot

That sounds like inner leaf gel.

It does have xanthan gum which is a prebiotic, I think.

Xanthan gum if a good additive and is prebiotic.

 

[Gondwanaland]

This is something that totally baffles me, this balancing and counterbalancing of B vitamins.

I have been reading the link in my signature "Balancing nutrients" for 2 years now and finally I understand it better than my functional dr

via the kidneys - strong smelling urine and a lot of bladder irritation

For me apple juice causes instant bladder dump (pins and needles).

Also if having too little dietary ox (skipping my cup of coffee for instance) I get kidney dump (pins and needles). I didn't try it for the bladder, but 1/2 Tbsp of dried cranberries healed my kidneys overnight.

I experimented with xylitol as prebiotic (huge mistake!) and got pleural (?) dump, it was like a tight belt around my lungs making it hard to breathe. That was when I found out why xylitol is forbidden in Australia and all the dangers of polyols being endogenously converted into ox - I guess this explains my avocado intolerance.

Alice, have you ever correlated RBC/WBC counts with ox crises? For me low lymphocytes (triggered by coconut oil) and anemia correlate beautifully with ox troubles.

 

[Jimbo39]

@Gondwanaland Just read your Balancing Nutrients link. I'm getting ready to start Fredd's protocol and there doesn't seem to be much info about calcium and magnesium intake.

The calcium to phosphorus ratio in bone is about 2.5 :1, while the ideal dietary phosphorus / calcium ratio
is estimated to be about 1:1. Many dietary factors reduce calcium uptake, such as foods high in oxalic acid
(spinach, rhubarb, beets, chocolate), which can interfere with calcium absorption by forming insoluble salts in
the gut.

Do I need to check my phosphorus level before supplementing w/ calcium? Will order HMT ASAP. It seems there will be poor utilization if thyroid isn't working properly? Oxalates-bad.


Although the process of absorption for magnesium is similar to that of calcium, some people absorb or retain
much more magnesium than calcium (or more calcium than magnesium), so the commonly suggested intake
ratio of 2 :1 for calcium and magnesium is really an arbitrary value that can change significantly under various
individual circumstances.

I see now the need for a 1:1 Cal/Mg ratio. I haven't seen any suggestions for a starting dose for Mg? I can't tolerate high amounts as it gives me the big D. Would transdermal be as effective? Any suggestions as far as brands? Hip uses Epsom salt mixed with cream.

Depression can be related to high and low levels of calcium and/or magnesium, with low levels being often-
times associated with anxieties as well. After comparing the background of patients who required very high
doses (4,000+mg) of calcium a day - just to reach near normal levels, it turned out that many had a history
of benzodiazepine (tranquilizers / sedatives) use.

This is me. I've been on Valium for 12 years. Maybe I need higher amounts?

 

[Jimbo39]

complicate things further, glutamate has the ability to bind with six other receptors in the brain, like the NMDA receptor, which assists in delivering calcium to the cell and plays a vital role in memory function and synaptic plasticity. Calcium is used by glutamate as the agent that actually inflicts the harm on the cell. So, if there is an excess of calcium in the body for any reason, it too will contribute to the GABA and glutamate imbalance.

Glutamate and calcium together cause ongoing firing of the neurons, which triggers the release of inflammatory mediators, which leads to more influx of calcium. It becomes a vicious cycle that results in neural inflammation and cell death. Glutamate has been described as the gun, while calcium should be seen as the bullet, says Dr. Mark Neveu, a former president of the National Foundation of Alternative Medicine. It’s important to note that activation of the NMDA receptor also involves glycine, D-serine or D-alanine, which means either one of these could allow for more influx of calcium as well.



This has been my greatest fear as far as supplementing with calcium. I've had major glutamate excitoxiticity since my forced cold turkey for hydrocodone. Could someone please blow a hole in this theory? Does calcium intake equate to increased cal ions? Can it be balanced with more mag?

 

[Jimbo39]

seek out apple pectin because it feeds Faecalibacterium pruznitzii which I am very short of. It is a little more expensive (though still pretty cheap) but it is so gunky that I use only small amounts.

My Faecalibacterium P is zilch. Thank you for the offer to go over my GI stool. Will post it shortly.

BTW, I've been craving coconut yogurt. It must be that my body is needing fermented foods. I when to Von's yesterday but they didn't have any tho I did get a bag of macadamia nuts. I'll go to Sprouts and get some as well as the ingredients for the muffins.

 

[Jimbo39]

I hope this works