Whole foods plant based diet

[james1947]

Thanks Hawk for the clarification.
I was not sleeping at nights thinking about how bad my diet is.
The only whole food plant I can eat is red meet (especially in form of Romanian hamburgers with a lot of garlic) with white bred and bear as nutritional additive  
I know my post should be "On the Light Side" board, apologising for that.
I just think that our obsession with the different diets is taking our attention from other important things.
I think the best is a balanced diet that includes the necessary nutrices for our body and as Hawk has stated, we are all different and I thing that what can be excellent for one, can be a disaster for someone else.

James

[skunkworks]

An Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis

Pigmented Potato Consumption Alters Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Damage in Men

[ashtown]

I just think that our obsession with the different diets is taking our attention from other important things.
I think the best is a balanced diet that includes the necessary nutrices for our body and as Hawk has stated, we are all different and I thing that what can be excellent for one, can be a disaster for someone else.

I don't think one thread on the forum really counts as an obsession unless I've missed a whole bunch of similar topics; while accurately defining a balanced diet has to be one of the most elusive pursuits of all time. How many times have we heard people on TV talking about a balanced diet and yet their recommendations constantly change over the years.

I do believe though that we should be working individually to discover what works and not discard diet as being of minor importance. It's very easy these days to think you are eating a healthy diet without being fully aware of the ingredients, especially in packaged foods. For me it's clear that if I eat nachos in a cheese sauce and wash it down with Coca Cola my Peyronies will start protesting with pain within the hour. That doesn't happen when I eat a salad or a handful of almonds.

When I saw my urologist last week he said I had seen a clear clinical improvement since my last visit. Diet may or may not have played a significant part in that but in the absence of any guaranteed cure I will continue with a process that at least seems to be helping.  

[George999]

1)  I believe that PROCESSED foods AS A CLASS are BAD.  But even in this case, a few bites now and then are UNLIKELY to do significant harm.  But having, for example, a few bites of sausage in a meal once or twice a month is far different than eating sandwiches with cold cuts on a daily basis.

2)  I believe that vegetables are far more nutritious than meats, but here again, restrained consumption of healthy meats is not likely to be harmful and may even have benefits.  I believe there is research out there indicating it can.

3)  Some fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than others, but even the least nutritious and most glycemic can usually be eaten safely IN MODERATION.

4)  Some very natural foods contain glutens or plant hormones.  And some insist that we should refrain from these completely.  As Hawk has wisely pointed out - "if you are not overtly allergic to them, don't waste sleep over it".

Diet is extremely important when it comes to health BUT we must try to focus on the bigger picture and no become myopic.  No ONE food is going give us supernatural health AND no ONE food is going to condemn us to a life of pain and misery.  Beware of claims to the contrary.  If you are convinced a food is bad for you even though cutting back on it gives no immediate benefits, just go easy on it.  Don't let it become a phobia.  Some people are deathly allergic to peanut butter.  Does that mean we should all stop eating peanut butter forever?  I don't think so.  What I do believe is that we should go for quality in food.  After all, we put it in our body.  We should be thinking, not about whether a particular fruit of vegetable or even meat is intrinsically bad for us, but rather what has been done to it before it went on sale.  Have its genetics been artificially altered?  Has it been hybridized to give it longer shelf life?  Has it been saturated with pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and/or antibiotics, etc?  These are really far worse threats than things like eating wheat, tomatoes, potatoes or soy beans.  I really do think this is a useful discussion, but, if we are not careful, we can take it too seriously to the point that we neglect proven therapies and that would not be a good thing.

[james1947]

ashtown

I had no intention to state that diet is a bad thing.
I eat red meet, it comes from grass feed cows, the grass not treated with pesticides.

George post bellow expressing my opinion in a better English and clear logic's than my post.
Thanks George

James

[skunkworks]

I just think that our obsession with the different diets is taking our attention from other important things.

I could not disagree more. We are dealing with an inflammatory auto-immune condition. Dietary intervention has shown itself to be effective in treating inflammatory auto-immune conditions. This is very very important.

[funnyfarm]

Skunk you are correct, it is becoming more apparent every year that the immune system health is primarily determined by gut health.  And obviously diet is paramount in maintaining a healthy gut.  

When the immune system is not balanced we suffer from inflammation which manifests itself differently in everyone.  In our case though, it is Peyronies Disease that results.

[ashtown]

Skunk you are correct, it is becoming more apparent every year that the immune system health is primarily determined by gut health.  And obviously diet is paramount in maintaining a healthy gut.  

One thought has just occurred to me. How about eating fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi?

These are said to help with digestion, support immune function and contain anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Most of the shop bought stuff is not that great but you can actually make it pretty easily yourself.  

[funnyfarm]

Yes you are correct Ash,  I also drink Kombucha and Kefir (from raw milk) which are both naturally fermented.   When you take a probiotic you get a dozen strains of bacteria, but with these there are 1000's.  There is no comparison.   The only fermented food that I would avoid is commercial yogurt, as many are mostly sugar and poor source of the good stuff.  And the cheap sauercrauts that come in a plastic bag are usually not fermented, they contain preservatives.  Where I live the fermented ones are 12.00/lb, so I get the other stuff instead.    

I have noticed a dramatic improvement in digestive health within a few weeks.  I think the secret is to get a small amount everyday if possible, or at least a few times a week.   Your gut (and body) will thank you !

[ashtown]

This is an excellent blog on anti-inflamation diet and lifestyle. This post talks specifically about the involvement of the gut in the immune system function Cooling Inflammation: Dr. Oz on Gut Flora Repair

[ashtown]

Hi funnyfarm, I've started eating raw organic unpasteurised sauerkraut and I'm just headed out the door to look for some kefir. Do you feel these foods have actually helped your Peyronies in any way?

[funnyfarm]

Definitely helped with digestion, and energy level.  I think it is too early, I have not fixed the Peyronies Disease. However I will say, I no longer get the inflammation after I eat, and my prostatitis has improved.

It is hard to find but if available, get raw, unpasteurized, kefir.  

[ashtown]

I just managed to find a few sugar free pots at a local supermarket but it was pasteurised. Apparently it's quite easy to make yourself so I may just have a go at that myself. The taste is good and seems to be a bit like liquid cottage cheese. You can also buy kefir in tablet form.  

PS Something I read earlier today was a real eye opener. Apparently 85% of our body's immunity defences are handled through the wall of the gut so it's vital that we get this right.  

[Bropyron]

I have just read through the whole thread and found it very interesting. I have, after one year of taking high doses of vitamins, minerals, enzymes come to the conclusion that diet is more important to my health and Peyronie's then any supplement. There is really no point in trying to improve your diet by eating rubbish and then trying to compensate it with supplements. Eating healthy food and using supplements for a "medical" effect might be different story, but for now I believe eating healthy foods is all I need. Nutrition is such a complex affaire where hundreds of chemicals interact with each other and here we are trying to figure out what vitamin, mineral or enzyme in what quantity will have a positive influence on our penis!
Now healthy food is a very broad term and everyone will have their own personal definition of this. Very few of us are trained in the nutritional field and as someone has mentioned before medical doctors neither.
By chance I have come across a book called "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell. I believe he is the founder of the "Whole foods plant based Diet" and probably the bases of the Forks over Knives documentary that I have not seen.
His research and findings have changed my outlook on nutrition entirely. I have changed my diet accordingly and I have never looked back. It's not another phony diet out of a woman's magazine based on another magazine. His research data is based over many countries and over a long period of time and includes hundreds of international studies. His definition is very simple and easy to follow, and after reading the book you will have no problem identifying what is healthy food and what not.
Another interesting read is "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Caldwell B. Esselstyn. He is the first researcher to proof that coronary heart disease is reversible through diet and lifestyle changes. His diet is largely based on a "Whole food plant based diet" as described by Campbell. You will probably wonder what that has to do with Peyronie's. Pentox is a medication to improve blood flow in the arteries and is used mostly by people with heart disease. The diet does exactly the same!
My logic would say using a whole food plant based diet and Pentox should increase the chance of success dramatically.

[skunkworks]

By chance I have come across a book called "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell.

http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

Rest in peace, China Study

Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Analyzing the China Study Dataset

[ashtown]

Welcome to the forum Bropyron, your point about there being no sense in eating junk and trying to compensate with supplements is well made and overlooked by many I suspect including doctors. Eating rubbish food is a drain on our bodies, so more than likely any benefits from supplements will be used up undoing the damage done by the wrong food.

On top of that some supplements are flat out difficult for the body to process and I'm reminded of an example I heard recently about a guy who sailed across the Atlantic not long ago and developed scurvy, despite packing loads of vitamin C tablets. He would have been far better off with fruit.

Recently I found some interesting information on fermented foods as a way of healing the gut and helping our immunity systems to recover from the effects of poor diet and antibiotics. It's worth a read and listening to the commentary when you have a spare hour. Suffice it to say I'm now eating quite a lot of sauerkraut  An Interview with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

I hope it's OK to post this for those who are interested. The Forks Over Knives documentary has been online here for over 6 months Watch Videos Online | Forks Over Knives | Veoh.com

Out of curiosity how long have you been on this diet and have you seen any improvement specifically in your Peyronies during that time? I have also dropped pretty much all the vitamin supplements with the exception of D3 because we get very little sun where I live for several months of the year.

[funnyfarm]

Welcome Bropyron, as you can see this is an excellent thread, keep us up to date with things.  

[Bropyron]

Thanks ashtown for the link to forks over knifes. Interestingly it is based pretty much on the two books I have mentioned plus a few other things. The video gives a good overview over the subject, but I think is still worth reading the books as they give much more depth to the story.
I have been eating whole plant based whole foods for two years and have Peyronie's for nearly 3 years. The Peyronie's got worse over about ¾ of a year and then started to improve. When I say improve, I mean that the inflamed scares "dissolved" but the hour glass deformity and bend are still there.
I cannot attribute the change in the disease to any of the supplements nor the diet as it is solely anecdotal and really does not mean anything as it could be just coincidental.
To pursue a healthy diet makes still total sense to me as I regard Peyronie's and my penis not as anything separate from the rest of my body but an integral part of it. In that regard I look at my diet as the foundation to a healthy body.
I don't think the diet will straighten my penis but it is the best fighting chance to suffer less permanent damage should a scar reappear.

[funnyfarm]

I totally agree with you !

[ashtown]

I have been eating whole plant based whole foods for two years and have Peyronie's for nearly 3 years. The Peyronie's got worse over about ¾ of a year and then started to improve. When I say improve, I mean that the inflamed scares "dissolved" but the hour glass deformity and bend are still there.

Hi Bropyron, you say the scar has dissolved but the hour glass and bend is still there. Surely if the plaque has gone shouldn't the penis start to straighten out? I'm just wondering what the missing link is here.

Ashtown  

[Bropyron]

Hi Ashtown, what I meant was that the plaque that felt like a long lump and was tender to the touch has disappeared, but the shape of the penis stayed the same. I assume that the inflammation has gone and the scare tissue is so flat that I can't feel it through palpation. Does this make sense?

[ashtown]

Yes that makes perfect sense and begs the question just how small does a scar have to be before the curvature either goes away or reduces dramatically?

In my case the plaque was clearly palpable and frankly harder to find areas that weren't scarred a few months ago. Apart from a recent setback where the urologist provoked further damage through excessive squeezing the plaque seems to be progressively softer and less inflamed. It all feels ten times more natural, yet the curvature is no better.

In a case like yours where you can't feel any plaque or inflammation at all I would try to get an ultrasound scan to pinpoint just how much scarring you have and exactly where it is. I don't think you've ever said how bad your curvature is but surely that information would be very useful for you.  

[Bropyron]

Ups, where did the last few blogs go?
Did the administrator place it under an other heading. I can't find it.

[james1947]

Bropyron

Do you think the "penile orthoses" belongs to "Whole foods plant based diet" discussion?
The "penile orthoses" may be eatten as part of the "Whole foods plant based diet"?
You may find it at:
https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,3453.0.html

James

[Bropyron]

Thanks James. I was aware of the fact that I got side tract on the topic, but was not sure how to change it and where to go.
Cheers

[inkhorn]

Corvette and others, I never thought about the inflamation deal. I've been a vegan for about 14 months and my motive after beating prostate cancer was to prevent any other diseases in my body.Apparently I was behind "the curve" for Peyronies, cause I got it about 8 months ago. I can say this, after 6 months living this life style all my blood work improved. Sugar, lipids,blood pressure etc. I hope it will also help with cussed disease, helping to clean up what needs to be done.It makes sense that it should. Regards Inkhorn

[corvette2010]

Haven't been on here in a while sorry guys. Update, everything is pretty good here. No pain in a LONG time and I feel great overall. I have added fish to my diet (I love grilled seafood on vacation!) but not a lot, just once every couple of months. But still no beef, poultry, pork, etc or any diary (flaxseed milk is delicious!) since Dec 18th, 2012. So I guess i'm a pescatarian is you're into labels and all that jazz.

[rd]

Here's a video I just stumbled across that made me think of this thread and cutting processed food out specifically wheat. Thought I would share and get input from you all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbBURnqYVzw

[MattFoley]

There's no question about it, wheat = worthless.

[inkhorn]

RD,Matt- While processed food is bad and whole wheat that is not really organic and whole is not good, I'm going to have to pass on the whole chromosome binding and the evolution of wheat. Non Gmo is the way to go for sure, but until the good doctor gets a little leaner looking, I'm eating pasta. "Forks over Knives", "Engine 2 Diet" and "The China Study" Regards Inkhorn  

[skunkworks]

By chance I have come across a book called "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell.

The China Study: Fact or Fallacy? | Raw Food SOS

Rest in peace, China Study

Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Analyzing the China Study Dataset

[inkhorn]

Skunk- Thanks for providing a link that could show balance. I will check it out. All I know that after beating cancer, I thought I'd give it a shot. After 6 months as a vegan all my blood work improved dramatically. Cholesterol down below 150, sugar from 7.5(which is borderline diabetic,even though there is no category for borderline) to 5. HPB, while still on meds alot more under control. Regards Inkhorn  

[MattFoley]

inkhorn, one of the best things I did for shedding weight and re-building my body was to limit all carbohydrate intake to foods that possess fiber. Even so, my carb intake is still pretty low. Ever since I went on a high protein, moderate fat, low carb diet, my body went through "ketosis" and I have all the energy I need via protein and fat consumption.

For those of us trying to lose weight, using the Atkins Diet is a great place to start.

[inkhorn]

Matt- I've been down that route, and yes ketosis, works. About 10 years ago,when alot of my levels were out of control, my GP suggested The South Beach Diet, which is similar, but with less fat and more heart healthy. Lost the weight I needed in 4 months and still drank a little red wine. Inkhorn

[MattFoley]

Well said, inkhorn.

I think most people can benefit from such a diet but too many people are addicted to "comfort foods" which are extremely high in carbs. And for obese people, it's a lifetime commitment to keep their weight in check.

[inkhorn]

Matt-One more thing on obesity. It is said that the cock loses length with increased belly fat. I can concur from the experience during the fat years. Whether it gets smaller or is just consumed by the fat, either way it's a drag. During a period of weakness and being overweight, my ability to have robotic surgery was in question. I lost the belly fat and kept it off. Inkhorn